Our Blissful Forever
by projectrunwayluver
Summary: What if Hermione and Harry had gotten together instead of Ron and had dated through most of their time at Hogwarts? AU. Sorcerer's Stone through Deathly Hallows. Will be long and start out as a T rating but will change later. Sorry no lemons when the change happens.
1. Chapter 1

** AN: So I've been thinking about doing a _Harmony_ Fanfic for awhile. Yes I know I have one going right now but I want another one. Personally I find it difficult to find good _Harmony_ Fanfics and that upsets me because I really think they would be good together. To start I know this story will end up being long. It will go from _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone _to _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_ and I tend to write short chapters so just be prepared. I've also been thinking about making a _Smallville_ Fanfic, if you like that idea please send me a PM or tell me in a review. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine. **

I pushed the cart that held my large trunk through the throngs of people that were wandering around. Daddy and Mum walked next to me looking around nervously as if they were afraid someone would jump out and yell "Gotcha!" To be perfectly honest I felt like that too. My life had completely turned upside two weeks ago when a sweet but small woman with wavy gray hair had come over and told me that I was a witch. I had been horribly insulted, I mean who has ever heard of a good witch, but she said that the ones from movies and stories were fake.

"Hermione, don't walk so fast." Mum said pushing her purse back onto her shoulder, it had been falling off.

"Sorry." I muttered slowing my pace. I was just so excited and wanted to find platforms nine and ten. Professor Sprout had said that to get onto platform nine and three-quarters all you had to do was walk between the two platforms. How weird? Strange? Crazy? No amazing! It was absolutely amazing.

Daddy and Mum seemed absolutely fascinated by everything Professor Sprout had done and told us. She had turned Mum's favorite vase into a badger. The cute little animal had scampered around the room and then crawled into my lap. It had been one of the most amazing moments of my life. After the Professor had left Daddy, Mum and I had had a family meeting. We all agreed that it would be best for me to go because it seemed like I wouldn't be able to get close to any other peers at school. Daddy and Mum asked me to write regularly and then took me to Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley was an amazing shopping area but Daddy and Mum hadn't been able to see the entrance at first. Professor Sprout had warned us of that but it still had been strange. While I was there I had gotten everything I would need for the school year and seven extra books about the magical world that I was now apart of. I wanted to make sure I knew what was going on since I would be at a disadvantage from being Muggle-born. Another strange term from the wizarding world that I had never heard before.

We stopped in front of platforms nine and ten. Daddy, Mum and I exchanged looks. The Professor had told us to run at the barrier as if we could walk right through it. Because that's exactly what would happen.

"Is anyone looking?" I whispered turning to Mum. She looked around then shook her head. I took a deep breath and ran at the barrier my heart hammering in my chest. My breath caught the closer I got and I snapped my eyes shut. I was still running. I opened my eyes and my mouth opened with shock. Daddy and Mum were looking around their eyes wide and sparkling. They were fascinated by everything as much as I was.

A gorgeous red steam engine was billowing out smoke and people were milling around everywhere. A large sign said Hogwarts Express, eleven O'clock. I had ten minutes to find a seat and say goodbye to my parents. Beautiful colored cats weaved around the floor and I smiled at a small orange tabby cat. I loved cats.

"Lets get your trunk on the train." Daddy said pushing the cart towards the train. I followed behind looking at everyone and everything I could. A tall blonde, aristocratic man with a can was smirking down at his blonde son who looked about my age. Two red haired boys that looked exactly alike helped a black-haired boy and push his trunk onto the train.

"Okay, Little Bug, lets get this trunk onto the train." Daddy said running a hand through his brown hair. Mum and I moved towards the cart and lifted my trunk together. It was very heavy from all the books I had crammed in there. I had tried a charm to shrink them and it kind of worked but not completely.

"Here let me help you." A burly boy said walking over to us. He and Daddy easily shoved the trunk into the compartment.

"Thank you." Daddy said with a nod. The boy walked away with a nod and smiled at the two red-haired twins as they jumped on the train.

"Sweetheart write as much as you can while you're away okay?" Mum said pulling me to her wrapping her arms around me. Her curly hair tickled my face and I pulled away with a smile and a nod.

"Now no dating while you're there, Little Bug, just worry about your studies." Daddy said pulling me against him for a hug.

"Daddy, I don't want to date." I said with a giggle.

"Just making sure." He said kissing my forehead. A whistle blew and I jumped slightly.

"I love you!" I yelled jumping onto the train.

"Love you too." They responded and I walked into the compartment I had claimed. A round faced boy about my age was sitting in the compartment. He was clutching a toad in his hands and was looking out the window.

"Hello." I said sitting down across from him.

"Hi," the boy muttered turning to me slowly. He had clear blue eyes and blonde hair. His eyebrows drew together as he looked me over. "Are you Muggle-born?"

"Er, yes?" Was it polite to ask about parentage in the wizarding world?

His eyes widened in shock and he smiled widely. "What's it like in the Muggle world?"

"Oh it's probably the same as the Wizarding world. We have school and we learn about writing, arthritic, science and history." I said thinking over my life so far. "I was in school for five years –"

"Really?" He asked leaning forward in surprise.

"Oh yes, I learned all about Queen Victoria and what she did. What's the Wizarding world like for jobs?" I asked excitedly. It was one thing to read about it and it was another to hear it first hand from someone who had grown up around them.

"Isn't it a little early to think about jobs?" Neville asked raising his eyebrow in surprise.

"No, that way I'll know exactly what to do and what classes I should take." I said leaning forward excitedly.

He started to explain the different types of jobs the wizarding world had. There were some as simple as writing magical books all the way to an Auror, which was a dark wizard catcher. He started to explaining the different types of jobs the ministry had.

The door slid open and a smiling, dimpled woman asked, "Anything from the cart, dears?"

Neville pulled out a handful of wizard money and got a little bit of everything to share with me. Who knew that wizards had come up with such creative candies? Neville bought Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands.

I nibbled on a pumpkin pastie and smiled. It was absolutely delicious. Everything Neville and I ate was good, even Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans was good. They had the usual flavors like chocolate, strawberry and lemon but they also had some very strange flavors. I found tomato, mushroom, soap and bacon.

"Have you seen Trevor?" Neville asked suddenly looking around. I put down the Cauldron Cake I had been about to eat.

"No, lets go look for him." I said standing up. We walked up and down asking people in the compartments if they had seen a toad but none of them had.

"Did you look in this one?" I asked pointing to a compartment that was next ours.

"I don't remember," Neville muttered blushing. I pushed open the compartment and stopped.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," I asked. A messy black-haired boy with glasses and pretty green eyes shook his head.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it," a red-haired boy snapped but it was the wand in his hand that made my eyes widened.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." I said excitedly and sat down next to the boy with glasses.

"Er – all right." He cleared his throat. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

Nothing happened. The gross, fat rat stayed gray and fast asleep.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" I asked raising my eyebrow. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard – I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough – I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you." I knew I was talking way too fast but I was just so excited. Magic was real. Just thinking that made my body hum with excitement.

"I'm Ron Weasley," the red-haired boy muttered.

"Harry Potter," said the black-haired boy.

"Are you really?" I asked, my eyes flitting to his forehead. A faint scar was visible between his bangs. The Boy-Who-Lived! More excitement hummed through my body. "I know all about you, of course – I got a few extra books. for background reading, and you're in _Modern Magical History_ and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_."

"Am I?" Harry said, looking dazed.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," I said. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon." I had slipped into my Hogwart's robes when I had needed the lavatory.

Neville and I stepped into the hall just in time to see a toad hopping down the aisle. "There he is!"

"Grab him!" Neville and I ran after the toad. He was jumping fast until a boy picked up Trevor. I looked up and flushed. It was the burly boy who had helped with my trunk.

"Hey it's you," he said with a smile. I nodded mutely as he placed Trevor in Neville's hands. "Hopefully we'll see you in Gryffindor."

"What's your name?" I finally squeaked out.

"Oliver. Oliver Wood." He said before turning back into his compartment. Neville pulled me back to our compartment but all I could see was Oliver Wood's pretty blue eyes.

**AN: Please Review! It helps more than you realize.**


	2. Chapter 2

** AN: Sorry have been having writer's block. It always happens at the worst time sorry guys. I'll try to update more. If you have any requests for who you want paired together just PM me or say so in a review, same with any deaths but that won't be for awhile as I am just starting the first year. Just a warning this story will be long but I will try to keep it moving. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

Neville was shaking next to me as we made our way off the train. He gripped Trevor tightly in one hand and had his hand clasped tightly around my fingers. His whole body was shaking with nerves.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?" I gaped at the man in shock. He was huge! He was taller than any other man I had ever seen. Twice as tall actually and three times as wide.

"C'mon, follow me – any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, we all followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of us that that we must have been surrounded by trees. Nobody spoke much. Neville shook nervously and I gave his hand a squeeze.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," the giant called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!" and I found myself too shocked to speak.

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. My word it was beautiful.

"No more'n four to a boat!" The giant called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Neville and I followed Harry and Ron into a boat. "Everyone in?" The giant shouted, who had a boat to himself. "Right then – FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over us as we sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood. It was perfect.

"Heads down!" The giant as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried us through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. We were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking us right underneath the castle, until we reached a kind of underground harbor, where we clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

I slipped and grasped tightly to the closest hand I could find. The hand tightened and pulled me up and found myself staring into brilliant green almond-shaped eyes. Harry's eyes.

"Careful," he said his voice soft.

"Thanks," I said with a smile.

We all walked up a set of stone steps and I stiffened as the giant knocked on the door. This was it. I was finally where I belonged. I would have friends.

The door suddenly swung open. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and a smile spread across my face. She looked like someone who loved rules as much as I did.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," the giant said.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit my whole house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

We all followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. I could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right – the rest of the school must already be in there – but Professor McGonagall showed all of the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. We all crowded in, standing rather closer together than we would usually have done, peering about nervously. My heart pounded in my chest and I nervously tapped my hand against my side.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. I ran my fingers through my hair trying to flatten it but my hair was unfortunately bushy and tended to have a mind of its own.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber.

I turned to Neville and fixed his cloak. "Do you have any idea of how they sort us?"

"No idea." Neville muttered his face turning a greenish color.

Ron suddenly spoke next to me and I jumped at the closeness. "Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

My heart stuttered. A test? Neville groaned next to me and his shoulders slumped. I quickly started to recite as many spells as I could remember hoping Neville would remember one of them.

"Es-peliarmus?" Neville asked shakily.

"No Expelliarmus." I said finger combing my hair. Unfortunately my hair wasn't flattening, if anything it was getting bushier.

Several people behind me screamed and I turned around.

"What the –?"

I gasped. So did the people around me. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance –"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?"

"New students!" the Fat Friar said, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely but all I could do was stare stupidly at them. Ghosts were real? What else could be real in this new world?

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" the Friar said. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Neville and I shakily made our way through a pair of double doors and I looked around in awe. It was absolutely amazing. Thousands of candles floated in midair over four long tables where all the other students were sitting. The tables had beautiful glittering goblets and plates. At the very front of the hall was another table. The teachers were sitting there.

"The ceiling, look at the ceiling." Neville muttered in awe.

"Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History." I whispered. But the book hadn't said that it looked like it opened up to the heavens. That it I could easily see some of the constellations I had learned in science.

Everyone stopped and turned to look at Professor McGonagall who silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. My mother wouldn't have let it in the house.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth – and the hat began to sing:

_"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_if you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

So all we had to do was put on the hat. What a brilliant, amazing thought.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause –

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

My heart was pounding loudly in my chest. All I wanted to do was place that hat on my head. It would be amazing being in Gryffindor. I was brave enough.

"Granger, Hermione!" I jumped and ran forward and jammed the hat on my head. _Interesting. Very intriguing._ I jumped in surprise. It could talk?! _Of course I can, now sit quietly. Any of the houses would have you. Your loyalty should be taken into account but what about those brains. You are very smart and would thrive in Ravenclaw. _No I wanted to be in Gryffindor! _Gryffindor? You do have bravery but those brains of yours should really be in Ravenclaw. _But I wanted to prove how brave I was. I needed to. _I have decided better be – _"GRYFFINDOR!"

I jumped up smiling and placed the hat on the stool. My smile was a mile wide as I skipped over to the Gryffindor table and sat next to a red-haired boy with glasses.

"Good job, Hermione." He said with a smile and shook my hand.

"Thank you, er –"

"Percy, Percy Weasley." He said with a smile. "My brother's in your year."

"Oh I think I met –"

"Longbottom, Neville." I turned and watched as he was sorted. He sat there for a full minute before the hat shouted out. "GRYFFINDOR!"

I relaxed back. Thank heavens. I did not want to be alone.

"Great job Neville." I said once he sat down next to me, his face flushed.

"Thanks 'Mione." I blushed and smiled. No one had ever given me a nickname before.

A few names were called but I ignored them. I was waiting for a specific one. My heart stuttered when his name was finally called.

"Potter, Harry!"

As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

"Potter, did she say?"

"The Harry Potter?"

"What house do you think he'll be in?" Neville whispered in my ear.

"Gryffindor, he has to be." I said softly. "After all he defeated You-Know-Who."

Harry sat on the stool for almost three minutes. Everyone sat staring at him wide eyed. What in the world was taking that hat so long?

"GRYFFINDOR!" I gave a happy cry and whistled loudly. Everyone was cheering but the Slytherin table were giving each other dark looks.

Harry ran over to our table his cheeks bright red. He seemed embarrassed by all the praise and I quickly looked when I realized how uncomfortable he was. Neville and I whispered quietly back and forth while we waited for the food. I was starving.

"Weasley, Ron." The hat barely touched his head when it yelled Gryffindor. He ran over to our table and sat next to Harry.

A man with a large silver beard and hair stood up and opened his arms wide. "Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!"

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. I giggled and smiled at Neville. But he wasn't looking at me. He was looking down at the table in shock. I followed his eyes and gasped. The table had filed itself with food.

"Amazing!" I gasped looking around at the spread. What a brilliant day. I had so much to tell my parents and the first day hadn't even finished yet!

"I love magic." I whispered looking around the room.

** AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize.**


	3. Chapter 3

** AN: When I asked for any pairing ideas I meant everyone else BUT Harry and Hermione. I just wanted to clear that up. How would everyone feel about Hermione and Oliver dating once their both a little older for a little bit? Just remember Oliver is fifteen and Hermione is eleven but there is the fact that she has the Time-Turner in her third year which will make her one year older. If you like the idea of please PM me or leave me review. Of course in the end she will end up with Harry. Neville and Hermione will be best friends from the start, as they both have a hard time making friends. When it comes to deaths I want to save as many as I can but good and bad people are going to die. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

Neville and I made our way down the steps to the Great Hall talking about our classes. "Which class are you excited for?"

"Transfiguration sounds absolutely amazing. I love the idea of changing one thing to something else. What about you?" I asked walking through the huge doors that lead to the Great Hall.

"Herbology," Neville muttered flushing brightly.

"The study of magical plants and fungi." I said nodding.

Neville looked at me in shock, "How do you know that?"

"I memorized all my course books." I said with a shrug and sat at the table. All the food I grabbed and ate was delicious. Neville was eating some eggs while I pulled out my schedule and looked it over. I didn't want to have to use it again. Herbology. Well Neville would be happy.

"Are you studying already?" A sharp voice asked from the other side of the table. I looked up and bright almond-shaped green eyes. Harry? "I mean they haven't even given us homework yet!" My eyes slid over to where Ron was chewing with his mouth wide open. Gross.

"Be nice Ron." Harry said jabbing his elbow into Ron's side.

"If you'll excuse me I have a class to get to." I muttered darkly and stormed out of the Great Hall with a handful of bacon clutched in my hand.

I was muttering darkly to myself when I walked into a hard wall and fell back on my bottom. "Ouch!"

"Oh Godric, sor- oh hey we meet again." I looked up in surprise to see Oliver Wood standing over me. He looked so much taller than I had thought and his muscles looked much more prominent in the white dress shirt he was wearing.

"Oliver?" I asked softly. He smiled and deftly pulled me to my feet.

"Yeah and you're Hermione, right?" I nodded mutely. "You should come to the first Quidditch match." I nodded again. "Great see you there."

My eyes followed him as he made his way into the Great Hall my face slightly flushed. He was so _sweet_. And extremely cute. So cute.

"What was that?" A snide voice asked. I turned slowly towards the dungeons. A blonde boy with a pointed face and two thick armed boys stood there.

"What was what?" I asked confused. All I knew about the boy in front of me was that he had been placed in Slytherin.

He looked me over slowly and stopped on my converse shoes that were sticking out from under my robes. His eyes widened in shock and sneered. "You're a Mudblood aren't you?"

"A what?" I asked confused.

"You're filth!" I took a step back my eyes widening in shock. "Disgusting. Why would they ever let someone like you in here?"

"Leave her alone!" A deep voice snapped from behind me. I turned around to see to tall red-haired boys standing behind me and Neville.

The blonde-haired boy sneered at me before walking into the Great Hall.

"Hermione?" Neville asked running over to me his face pale.

"I'm okay." I whispered softly my face pale. Why was he so mean? "Let's go to class." I muttered snatching his wrist and started in the direction of the green houses.

"Hermione, Neville wait!" The twins yelled from behind us. I turned to them and bit the inside of my cheek hard so I wouldn't cry.

"Yes?" I asked blandly.

"If he ever calls you that again either punch him in the nose or find the closest teacher. He'll either get detention for a week or suspended. No one is supposed to use that word here." I nodded and bit my lip before running to the greenhouses as fast as I could. What in the world did that word mean?

"Neville?" I asked softly as we stood outside the doors to the greenhouse.

"Yeah?" He asked looking up at me his face extremely pale.

"What does that word mean?" I asked my eyes darting around. If it was as bad as I thought it was I did _not_ want a professor to overhear Neville's explanation.

"It's... it's not a word one hears in civilized conversation. It's a derogatory term for someone with Muggle-born parents. It stands for dirty blood. Some Pure-blood families believe that only wizarding families deserve magic. Another term that is sometimes used is 'Creature of Dirt' which is just as bad." Neville whispered in my ear.

I leaned back against the greenhouse in shock. He didn't even know me! I sucked in a large lungful of air and stood to my full height. "I'll prove him wrong."

"How?" Neville asked turning to look at me.

"To prove that I belong here like everyone else," if not more than him. I deserved to be here just like everyone else. Failure was not an option. Not that it ever was. Now I had a reason to prove them all wrong and strive to be my absolute best. I would show them that I was just as good as any Pure-blood out there.

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Please tell me what you love, what you hate, what you want to see happen, anything.**


	4. Chapter 4

** AN: LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE! It seems like its better if I don't write on the weekend so I don't get Harry Potter burn out. I've been writing HP Fanfics since January and its getting hard to pop out one chapter after another like I used to. Some days are easier to write than others and some days I sit in front of my laptop and can't find the right words to put down. And some stories I have come up with are easier to update than others. This is just a warning for the future in case I don't update for a few days or even a week. But I do try to update as much as possible. Now it seems that most people don't like the idea of Hermione and Oliver together. I just had to ask because some liked the idea. But now that I've asked I won't have them be together, it will just be a passing crush like Lockhart. And since she won't date Oliver I know exactly when Harry and Hermione will get together. Harry, Ron and Hermione will become the golden trip but it takes extreme circumstances for it to happen since Ron has that lovely habit of sticking his foot in his mouth. In my story though Neville will become close to the golden trio because I adore Neville and he's awesome. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

I was striving to do my absolute best in all of my classes and I succeeded. To be perfectly honest the classes were much harder than I thought they would be. I had to work hard to keep up with my classes. Neville and I always went to the library to work on our homework because it was too hard for me to concentrate in the common room. Too much noise or talking distracted me.

"Hermione?" Neville whispered softly.

"Hmm?" I hummed not looking up from my Potions book. I always read ahead for all of my classes and was doing so now.

"Can you help me with my History of Magic essay?" Neville asked his eyes darting around nervously. He was afraid of Madam Pince and the way she yelled at you if you whispered too loud.

"Of course." I muttered pulling it over to me. My eyes slid back and forth over the parchment. He had written his words larger than usual so that he wouldn't have to come up with as much information on Emeric the Evil. I giggled once I got to the end.

"Neville I think you misunderstood Professor Binns." I said putting down the parchment. "He didn't say it was the Wand of Density it's the Wand of _Destiny_."

"Oops." He muttered flushing dully. I passed him back his essay and continued to read the chapter on the Forgetfulness Potion. My eyes slid back and forth across the pages easily.

"'Mione?" Neville whispered pulling on my sleeve.

"What?" I asked looking up from the chapter.

"We're going to be late to dinner if we don't go soon." He said packing away his supplies.

"Oh Godric." I gasped shoving my books into my bag. Ever since I had started at Hogwarts I had been forgetting to eat. There was just so much I had to do in order to keep up.

Neville and I ran through the halls trying to get to the Great Hall. Unfortunately Neville had a bad habit of getting us lost.

"It's this way." I gasped running down a long corridor.

"Are you sure oof –" Neville ran smack into Professor Dumbledore. I let out a startled gasp and almost ran into Neville before I could stop myself.

"Pro-Professor Dumbledore." Neville muttered his face pale.

"Try going left next time Miss Granger, Mr Longbottom." Professor Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his blue eyes. He walked away his boots tapping softly against the floor.

"That was odd." Neville muttered watching him walk away.

"Agreed."

_**Harry POV**_

I quickly ate my steak and kidney pie listening to Ron and Dean banter about the differences between soccer and Quidditch. To be perfectly honest it was getting old. Soccer was entertaining but rumor had it that Quidditch was much better.

"Are we too late?" Neville gasped out falling into an empty seat across from me. Hermione dropped down next to him panting slightly. Her hair looked even more untamed than usual and it somehow looked good on her. I liked that her hair was wild and curly. It made her stand it. Hermione smiled at me her slightly too-large teeth sticking over her bottom lip. Her teeth unfortunately took away from her smile.

"Nope there's still ten minutes left." I said looking down at my watch.

"Thank Godric." Hermione muttered picking up an apple.

"So are you excited, Neville?" Ron asked turning away from Dean with a dark look. Dean looked just as upset with Ron for not understanding how fun soccer could be.

"For what?" He asked taking a bite of his pie.

"The first flying lessons are tomorrow." Ron said his eyes glittering.

"Er... I've never been on a broom before actually." Neville muttered his cheeks flushing a dull red.

"Oh." Ron said awkwardly then turned to Hermione. "What about you Hermione, are you excited?"

"Of course." She muttered pulling on one of her curls. "Um if you'll excuse me I need to get to the library."

And she ran off her half eaten apple on the table.

"Er... what did I say?" Ron asked looking at me confused. After he had upset Hermione that first morning he had decided to try to be nicer to her. But to be perfectly honest she could be confusing at times.

"She's nervous about flying." Neville said taking a deep drink of pumpkin juice.

"What?" Ron asked his eyes wide.

"Why?" I asked surprised.

"Its something she can't learn from a book. She's been trying to do her absolute best in all of her classes –"

"We noticed." Ron and I said at the same time then laughed.

"Well she's been having a hard time so far." Neville said popping a grape in his mouth.

"Its only been a week and a half." Ron said surprised. "How hard could it be?"

"Since I'm the only one who likes her or even talks to her really, its hard." Neville said then jumped up to go after Hermione.

Ron and I turned to look at each other in surprise. I guess I hadn't noticed before but it was true. Hermione _was_ having a hard time of it. She seemed to get picked on for studying so much.

"I think we should try to be nicer to her." I muttered to Ron as we stood to leave the Great Hall.

"Only if she's nice first." Ron said.

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize.**


	5. Chapter 5

** AN: Trying to update more. Sorry for not doing it sooner but I needed to take a break from the Harry Potter universe. If I don't take breaks from time to time I can't get out good chapters. The kind of chapters that you all deserve. I want to make you all happy. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

I stared in shock as Harry flew into the air. How could he be so stupid?! He had never even flied before! And the only reason he was up there was because Draco had taunted him.

I couldn't hear what Draco and Harry were yelling at each other but suddenly Harry went into a spectacular dive his arm stretched in front of him. Ron was whooping and all I wanted to do was smack him.

Harry caught something in his hand and fell off the broom into the grass. My eyes were wide with shock. He could have been hurt!

"HARRY POTTER!" My heart stuttered as Professor McGonagall stormed onto the field her eyes flashing.

"Never – in all my time at Hogwarts –" Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "– how dare you – might have broken your neck –"

"It wasn't his fault, Professor –"

"Be quiet, Miss Patil

"But Malfoy –"

"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now."

Harry followed after Professor McGonagall his shoulders slumped. Well he deserved whatever he got for breaking the rules!

The rest of the day passed in a blur for me. Neville had been sent to the hospital wing because of his broken wrist. All my classmates avoided me as I quietly went from class to class. They hated me. All because I was smart. How was that for fair?

I read my potions book as I ate my steak and kidney pie but I overheard the conversation going on next to me.

"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you, Malfoy." said Harry coolly. I peaked over at the boys he was talking about and swallowed thickly. It was the mean blond boy and his huge friends.

"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only – no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"

Harry looked confused. He was raised by Muggles, of course he had no idea what a Wizard's Duel was.

"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?"

Malfoy looked at the boys sizing them up carefully.

"Crabbe," he said, nodding towards the shorter, fatter one. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."

When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other. "What is a wizard's duel?" said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"

"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually getting started at last on his cold pie. Once he finally saw the terrified look on Harry's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send

sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."

How could he be so stupid again?! He could lose house points, get hurt, expelled, who knows? Merlin I had to stop him. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to him. Even his goofy friend, Ronald.

"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" Harry asked looking scared.

"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested.

"Excuse me." I said trying to get their attention.

"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron.

My throat felt thick but I pushed it down. I had to stop them.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying –"

"Bet you could," Ron muttered. I ignored him again.

"– and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you. You could also get hurt."

"And it's really none of your business," said Harry darkly.

"Good-bye," Ron snapped then turned away.

I grabbed up my books and stormed away from the Great Hall, my throat thick with tears. It hurt, the way they snubbed me. What if something happened to them? I couldn't just let them get hurt. What if I asked Percy the Prefect to stop them? Harry and Ronald would be furious with me but at least they would be safe.

"Pig Snout." The Fat Lady nodded and the portrait opened for me. I ignored the few students who were in the common room and stormed up the stairs to my dorm. Lavender was already in the room when I got there but I ignored her. She and I didn't really get along.

I changed into my pajamas and pulled on my pink fluffy bathrobe and sat on my bed. What to do, what to do?

I placed my feet against the wall and tapped my foot nervously. This is what I had always done at home when I had been deep in thought.

What if Harry and Ronald really did get hurt? I would never forgive myself. It really didn't matter about the house points but Malfoy and his goons would never fight fair. I pulled my robe tighter around my waist and silently made my way down the steps. Maybe I could stop them... I had to try anyway.

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. If you ever have any ideas please leave me a review or say so in a PM and I'll give you the credit for it. Also if you have any pairings (besides Harry and Hermione) that you would like just ask and I'll see what I can do.**


	6. Chapter 6

** AN: Since the major holidays have passed I should be able to update more. But the truth of the matter is I have nine stories going right now and it's very easy for me to burn out so I have to be careful not to overdo it. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine. **

** _Hermione POV_**

I was following after Harry and Ron hissing at them like an angry goose.

"Go away." Harry snapped. I swallowed thickly ignoring the pain in my chest.

"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so —"

I trailed off when I had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found myself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and I was locked out of Gryffindor tower. Crap!

"Now what am I going to do?" I asked shrilly.

"That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late."

They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when I caught up with them. How could they be so foolish!

"I'm coming with you," I said.

"You are not." Ron snapped his eyes flashing.

"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."

"You've got some nerve —" said Ron loudly.

"Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. "I heard something."

It was a sort of snuffling.

"Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark. No it wasn't. I recognized that sniffle.

"Neville?" I breathed shakily. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake when I said his name.

"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed." His voice was shaking. I wished I could help him but I couldn't.

"Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere."

"How's your arm?" said Harry.

"Fine," said Neville, showing us. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."

"Good — well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later –" Ron said walking forward slowly.

"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already."

Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Neville and I. "If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you."

I opened my mouth to tell him to shove off but Harry hissed at me to be quiet and beckoned all of us forward. We flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn I expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but we were lucky. We sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room.

Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. We edged along the walls, keeping our eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand his face pale. But the minutes crept by and no one came. Something was wrong.

"He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered.

Then a noise in the next room made us jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when we heard someone speak – and it wasn't Malfoy.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at us to follow him as quickly as possible; we scurried

silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when I heard Filch enter the trophy room.

"They're in here somewhere," I heard him mutter, "probably hiding."

I knew it! Malfoy set them up!

"This way!" Harry mouthed to us and, petrified, I silently began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. I could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run – he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.

The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle. My heart stuttered and I froze.

"RUN!" Harry yelled, and the four of us and sprinted down the gallery, none of us looked back to see whether Filch was following - we swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry was in the lead, and I could tell he had no idea where he was going — we ripped

through a tapestry and realized we were in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near our Charms classroom, which I knew was miles from the trophy room.

"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering. But I was furious. I wanted to strangle Harry with my bare hands.

I - told - you," I said clutching at the stitch in my chest, "I - told - you."

"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible."

"Malfoy tricked you," I snapped at Harry. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you - Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."

Harry glared and me then finally said, "Let's go."

It wasn't going to be that simple though. We hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them. It was Peeves. He caught sight of us and gave a squeal of delight.

My throat tightened and I felt like crying. This was the worst possible situation ever!

"Shut up, Peeves - please - you'll get us thrown out." I said desperately.

Peeves cackled. "Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."

"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please." Neville begged.

"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know."

"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves; this was a big mistake.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR"

Ducking under Peeves, we ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where we slammed into a door - and it was locked.

"This is it!" Ron moaned, as we pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!" I could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves's shouts.

"Oh, move over," I snarled. I grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, "Alohamora!"

The lock clicked and the door swung open - we piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed our ears against it, listening.

"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me."

"Say 'please'."

"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.

"All right – please."

"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And then there was the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.

"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be okay - get off, Neville!"

I turned to look at Neville. His face was paler than I had ever seen it and he was making a frightened squeaking noise.

I turned to see what he was looking at. My heart stuttered and I staggered back against the wall. This was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.

We weren't in a room, as I had supposed. We were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now I knew why it was forbidden.

I was looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in our direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.

It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at us, and I knew that the only reason we weren't already dead was that our sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.

Harry groped for the doorknob and flung it open. He grabbed my shirt but something caught my eye before he pulled me out. It was standing on a trapdoor. What in the—? Was it guarding something?

I fell backward into Harry's arms. He passed me to Ron who was shaking so much I almost fell to the ground. Harry reached forward and slammed the door shut, and we ran, we almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for us somewhere else, because I didn't see him anywhere, but I hardly cared — all I wanted to do was put as much space as possible between me and that monster. We didn't stop running until we reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.

"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at us in shock. I knew we must have been a sight.

"Never mind that - pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry, and the portrait swung forward. We scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.

It was a while before any of us said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again. This was so horrible. I should have never gone after them.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

I snarled and sat up my anger slamming into with full force. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" I snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on.

"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."

"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something." I stood up, glaring at them, my whole body shaking with repressed rage. "I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed – or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

And I turned and marched up the steps to my dorm room. _I'm never speaking to those bloody idiots again!_

** AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize.**


	7. Chapter 7

** AN: I just would like to say something about the Golden Trio's relationship. Neville will not be replacing Ron. It just so happens that Neville is the only friend Hermione has made and Ron is really good at sticking his foot in his mouth. Don't worry though all you Ron fans he'll redeem himself when it comes to all the battles. On a little side note: most of the chapters will be from Hermione's perspective unless you guys request otherwise. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

** _Hermione POV_**

I was ignoring Harry and Ron. Neville followed my lead and would work on homework with me in the library. He really was my only friend at the school. No one else liked me. I sighed and read a fourth year Charms book. To be perfectly honest I wanted to start working on it now so I would be good when we practiced it then. I just couldn't bear the thought of not being able to come back so I worked twice as hard as everyone else.

"'Mione we should get going to Charms or we'll be late." Neville said standing up slowly. His back cracked in several places and I tried not to wince.

"Let's go!" I said grabbing his hand excitedly and started down the hall. Professor Flitwick had hinted at making objects fly today. I was so excited I could barely hide my grin.

When Neville and I finally got to the classroom Professor Flitwick split us into pairs. Neville was paired with Dean Thomas, a very tall boy with dark skin like melted chocolate. Harry was paired with Seamus, a sandy haired boy with an Irish accent. And I was paired with Ron. It was hard to tell if he was madder about it or me. He slouched back in his chair and completely ignored everything Professor Flitwick said.

"Begin!" Flitwick squeaked then started to make his way around the room. I swished and flicked my wand and smiled when my feather wiggled in front of me. I had almost done it!

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, climbing onto his stack of books so he could see the whole class. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too - never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

I swished and flicked my wand again and smiled when it started to soar into the air. But Ron being Ron, hadn't listened to Flitwick and was waving his hands around like a windmill and knocked my feather out of the air.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms again. I growled and glared at him.

"You're saying it wrong," I snapped. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

I rolled up the sleeves of my gown, flicked my wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above our heads. I smiled in triumph while Ron sulked.

"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

I pulled out some parchment and started writing a note to my parents. They loved everything I told them about the magical world but they seemed concerned that I wasn't making friends. I told them all about Neville and how nice he was and how he had explained some of the different types of jobs in the wizarding world. They seemed to like that I was already thinking ahead about my plans and what I wanted to do with my life.

When the bell rang I quickly packed my bag and pulled it over my shoulder. I walked down the corridor and saw Neville up ahead. I ran to catch up with him but froze at the sound of a harsh voice speaking.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," Ron snarled, "she's a nightmare, honestly."

I stiffened and felt my throat tighten. Knowing that no one likes you is one thing but its completely different when someone else says it. My throat was thick with unshed tears and I pushed past Harry and Ron.

"I think she heard you." Harry whispered his voice pained.

"So?" said Ron. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."

My tears redoubled and I pushed my way into the nearest bathroom and sobbed. This was not how it was supposed to be! I wiped roughly at my eyes but my tears continued to fall. It took awhile for me to finally cry out but I did. I looked up slowly and my heart clenched in my chest. What looked like a very large Mountain Troll was standing in front of me and raised its club. I let out a terrified scream and fell back against the wall.

I barely noticed when Ron and Harry barged into the room brandishing their wands. My mind seemed to be frozen with shock and I couldn't move. Harry tried to pull me up but I seemed to be stuck in my mind. He tried to help me but finally ran to Ron and jumped on the trolls back. Ron swished his wand and the huge club hit the trolls head and it fell to the ground.

No one spoke for a few moments.

"Is it – dead?" I asked my voice shaking.

"I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out."

A moment later four teachers rushed into the bathroom. I took the blame for everything and lost ten house points. Harry and Ron both looked shocked but quickly agreed with me, I didn't want them to get in trouble. I silently made my way to the common room in shock. Harry Potter saved my life. A warm feeling seeped through my body and I smiled.

** AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. When you leave reviews they make me happy, when I'm happy I update more, when I update more everyone is happy.**


	8. Chapter 8

** AN: Trying to update all of my stories more. I'm trying to figure out exactly what I want to do with each one and this one can be difficult at times to update. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

** _Hermione POV_**

"Okay Ron, you and Dean hold the sheet still." I said waiting for them to comply. It took them a moment to stand still then I waved my wand over it and did a tricky charm that would make the words flash.

"Hermione that's brilliant!" Neville gasped staring at the words in shock. The white sheet was now flashing the words _Potter For President_ between gold and red, the Gryffindor colors. The lion underneath flashed orange, yellow and gold. It was perfect.

"Okay, now we have to make sure we hold it up high so Harry can see it when he walks out." Seamus nodded and Ron clucked his tongue thoughtfully.

"Can we make it bigger?" Ron asked scratching the end of his long nose. I thought about that for a moment then hummed.

"Yes I think we can." I said pulling my wand back out of my back pocket. "Engorgio!"

The sheet started to expand very quickly. I squeaked in shock and accidentally dropped my wand. The sheet was now the size of one wall in my bedroom at home. Merlin, it was huge! "Oh crap."

"No, I think it looks good Hermione." Seamus said thoughtfully.

"Okay good." I said letting out a heavy breath. "I think all of us are going to have to hold it."

It took us five minutes to figure out how to hold the sheet in the best way so everyone could see it. Some of the older Gryffindor students nodded in approval at the sign while the other houses laughed at us.

"Here they come!" Someone yelled. I turned excitedly and watched as the seven players walked out of the dressing room. Harry was easily distinguished by his messy hair but I wasn't looking at him. My eyes were locked on Oliver Wood. He looked like he was in his element as he crossed the field with confidence and shook the Slytherin captain who reminded me of the troll we had fought only days ago.

Madame Hootch seemed to be speaking quietly to the team then blew her whistle loudly. All fourteen players and Madam Hootch flew into the air.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor – what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too –"

"JORDAN!" Seamus and Dean roared with laughter.

"Sorry, Professor."

The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall. She kept glaring at Lee every few minutes her lips pursed.

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve — back to Johnson and — no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes — Flint flying like an eagle up there — he's going to sc- no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle — that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and — OUCH — that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger — Quaffle taken by the Slytherins — that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger — sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which — nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes — she's really flying — dodges a speeding Bludger — the goal posts are ahead — come on, now, Angelina — Keeper Bletchley dives — misses — GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins. Ron, Neville and I happy danced until someone bumped into us.

"Budge up there, move along."

"Hagrid!"

We all squeezed tightly together so Hagrid could sit next to us. I was pressed closely to both Ron and Neville.

"Bin watchin' from me hut," Hagrid said, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."

"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.

I watched as Harry hovered in the air his head turning from side to side looking for the Snitch.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the — wait a moment — was that the Snitch?"

A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.

Ron and I gripped each others hands as Harry dove like a bullet. He moved so fast and it seemed everyone had paused to watch him.

WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below — Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.

"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.

Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.

"Send him off, ref! Red card!" Dean yelled. I jumped up and down in agreement yelling just as loudly. Harry could've been hurt! He could have fallen! In everything I had heard about Quidditch no one had said it was dangerous!

"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.

"Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In soccer you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"

"But this isn't soccer, Dean," Ron reminded him. I humphed angrily but continued to watch the game.

Hagrid, however, seemed to be on our side.

"They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."

Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides. And to be perfectly honest I could hardly blame him. The Slytherins were being brutal!

"So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul —"

"Jordan, I'm warning you —"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

I was watching Harry thoughtfully when his broom suddenly jerked. What the? Maybe it had been a fluke. But a moment later it jerked again and I watched as Harry's face turned white as parchment.

"Ron is that how a broom is supposed to act?" I asked tugging on his sleeve. Ron looked up and frowned as Harry's broom seemed to bouncing around in the air.

"No and it looks like Harry isn't doing it either." Ron said squinting up at Harry.

Lee was still commentating as if nothing was happening.

"Slytherin in possession — Flint with the Quaffle — passes Spinnet — passes Bell — hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose — only joking, Professor — Slytherins score — A no..."

The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.

"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom... but he can't have..."

Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand. Neville started to cry and hid his face in Hagrid's jacket. I was clutching tightly to Ron's arm afraid I was going to be sick.

"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.

"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic — no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."

Harry and Ron's comments about Snape came back to me. I seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, I started looking frantically at the crowd.

"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced. But I ignored him. I was looking for someone. And then I found him and felt my stomach drop horribly. Snape was sitting almost directly across from us muttering under his breath, his eyes unblinking.

"I knew it," I gasped, "Snape — look."

Ron grabbed the binoculars and groaned.

"He's doing something — jinxing the broom," I said.

"What should we do?"

"Leave it to me."

It was horrible listening to the terrified gasps and groans from the crowd. I fought my way through the bleachers shoving people out of my way as fast as I could. If I didn't stop Snape in time he could kill Harry!

I ran in the row in front of Professor Quirrel and accidentally knocked him over. It took some quick thinking so that I was discreetly hidden then crouched down and muttered a few chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from my wand onto the hem of Snape's robes.

It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told me I had done my job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in my pocket, I scrambled back along the row –— Snape would never know what had happened. It was perfect.

I quickly ran across the bleachers and watched the game making sure I was far away from Snape. The last thing I needed was for him to think I had done it.

I watched as Harry sped toward the ground when he suddenly clapped his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick — he hit the field on all fours — coughed — and something gold fell into his hand.

"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head. But I barely watched him and the other Gryffindors as they cheered. I was too stunned by the fact that Snape had tried to kill Harry.

** AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize and also motivates me to update more.**


	9. Chapter 9

** AN: So I had someone comment and say that the storyline hasn't changed much since I started. To that all I have to say is that it will take some time to start working the story in a new direction so that Harry and Hermione date. It would be really strange for two eleven year old to date (or at least to me it sounds weird). There _will_ be changes to the story it will be small at first but they will become bigger changes the further the story progresses. Just give it some time guys it will be well worth the wait. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

** _Hermione POV_**

Harry, Ron and I were sitting around one of the tables in the library with large stacks of books all around us. It was almost the Christmas holidays but we weren't doing homework, we were looking for Nicholas Flamel.

After the Quidditch game had ended the three of us had gone to Hagrid's to talk about all that had happened in privacy. Hagrid hadn't believed us when we told him that it had been Snape who had been jinxing Harry's broom. We tried a different track by asking him why Snape had been trying to get past the three headed dog (Harry had overheard Snape admit it to Filch the caretaker). Hagrid had been shocked and not to bother about it since Fluffy, the three headed dog, was hiding something and it was between Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel.

Nicholas Flamel.

I frowned biting my lip. The name sounded familiar. I knew I had read it somewhere but I had read so many wizarding books already it was hard to know which one to look through first. But there was something that stood out about all of it. Harry said he recognized the name too. If he recognized it it would have to be in a book he had read. But we had already looked through all of our course books thoroughly. So we were now looking through every book we could think of.

Ron stood up and walked down a row of books and pulled three out at random. Harry was gazing longingly at the Restricted section when Madam Pince came out of no where brandishing a feather duster at Harry like a sword. He left shortly after.

I walked down row after row of books. Nothing really screamed, _Here I am take me!_ But I was still hoping I could figure out who he was before I left for the Christmas holidays in two days.

My parents were extremely excited for me to come home and tell them all about the wizarding world. They had been afraid when I started that we would drift apart. I was afraid of that too. But I had a few things for them I knew they would like. I had found a book about how wizards deal with their teeth and thought they might enjoy looking it over during the holiday.

"Pssst! Hermione?" I jumped and turned where Ron was sitting. His finger was on the page and he looked hopeful.

"Did you find it?" I asked excitedly trying to keep my voice quiet. The last I wanted was to get kicked out of the library for talking to loud.

"Er, no but I might have found something interesting." He said waving me over. I crossed over to Ron and looked down at the page.

"Ron! Why are you reading about the Dark Arts? We're supposed to be looking for Flamel!" I snapped glaring at him. His ears turned red and he glared darkly at me.

"I was thinking maybe Flamel had something to do with the war." He said simply his lips pursed with anger.

"Oh! I never thought of that." I gasped nibbling on my lip thoughtfully. Ron had a triumphant grin on his face that I ignored. "Wait? Didn't you say you found something?"

"Oh! Yeah, here." Ron pushed forward the book and I smiled. I had seen this picture before and it always made me choke up.

"Harry and his family." I said looking at the picture. James and Harry looked so much alike it was uncanny but there were some differences. Lily was very beautiful. She had gorgeous red hair and almond shaped green eyes. Just like Harry's. Harry was little. Eight or nine months old at the most. He was smiling at whoever had taken the picture and laughed widely.

"Harry doesn't know what they look like." Ron said snapping the book shut. "I'm going to check it out and show him so he can see them for himself."

"I never thought of that." I whispered biting my lip.

"Yeah. Why don't you grab a stack of books and check them out." I flushed and looked away. "What?"

"I can only check out ten at the most." I said pulling on one of my curls.

"Why?" Ron asked raising his eyebrow slowly then laughed suddenly. "Oh don't tell me, you've almost hit the maximum checkout. How much is it anyway?"

"It doesn't matter." I said primly grabbing some books off the shelf that looked promising.

"No seriously Hermione, how many?" Ron asked looking curious. I mumbled a number and he froze in shock. "Did you just say thirty-four?!"

"No." I said quickly flushing.

"Okay good, I was going to say that's crazy!" I pursed my lips and grabbed up the books.

"Let's check out." I said walking to the front of the room placing the books on the counter. Madam Pince quickly checked me out but froze when the last book gave a little beep noise. Ron was frowning next to me but my heart was pounding in my chest.

"I'm sorry, you have too many books out and have reached your limit." Madam Pince looked shocked and cleared her throat. "I do believe that's a record. No student has ever had forty-five books out at once."

I groaned and dropped my head. "Thanks."

"Anytime." She said taking the last book away and put it on the reshelve pile. Dang, I had really wanted that book to read it over break. Oh well I could check it out when I came back from break. It was about older wizards who had made huge discoveries and changed the world. Hopefully it would be there when I came back for break.

** AN: Please Review! It helps so much more that you realize and it also motivates me to update faster and more often.**


	10. Chapter 10

** AN: I am so sorry for not updating this story sooner. I've had serious writer's block on it. If you ever have any ideas about this story don't hesitate to PM or tell me in a review and I'll give you the credit for it. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

"Look through the books you got and see if you can find anything." Harry said wrapping his arms around me in a hug. It felt a little awkward, like he didn't give hugs very often, but it still felt nice.

"Will do." I said pulling away and turned to Ron. He and I nodded at each other and I boarded the train.

I had a compartment to myself on the way back to King's Cross Station. I flipped through one book after another looking for anything to do with Flamel. It didn't take me long to figure out that in all the books I had checked out none of them had Flamel in it. He must have done something significant! I just knew it! But I couldn't continue to look for another three weeks.

Three weeks.

My stomach sank and I bit my lip nervously. I missed Hogwarts already. And for some reason that made me a little nervous but I didn't know why.

I picked up one of the books I had discarded and started to read it from the beginning. It was all about the first wizarding war and was absolutely fascinating. But to be perfectly honest there seemed to be some holes missing in the story. Like how He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named came to power in the first place. I mean he couldn't possibly have gone by that in school! The thought made me giggle before I quickly stuffed it down and continued to read.

I was halfway through the book when a voice echoed through the train. "We will be reaching Platform nine and three-quarters in five minutes time. Please bring all of your belongings with you and have a pleasant day!"  
I quickly packed up all of my belongings and pulled my bag onto my back. The hallway was crowded and I almost bumped into Malfoy the moment I stepped out of my compartment.

"Watch it Mudblood." He sneered at me his eyes raking up and down my Muggle clothes. "Nice outfit."

I didn't say anything, I just turned away and made my way towards the closest exit. My mum had always taught me to keep "your lips buttoned if I couldn't say anything nice". Yes, that was a direct quote.

I took my last step off the train pushing my hair over my shoulder. Students were all over the place and they were only letting a couple people go through the barrier at a time. I was able to be fifth in line and I walked through with a Gryffindor girl that I was fairly sure was on the Quidditch team.

It was terrifying walking through the wall and I made sure my eyes were tightly shut. When I made through the other side I almost immediately spotted my parents.

"Mum! Daddy!" I ran towards them without a second thought.

"Hermione!" Mum said wrapping her arms around me.

"Little Bug!" Daddy said his glasses sliding down his nose.

"Oh we missed you!" Mum said pressing a kiss to my cheek.

"Jean you got lipstick on her." Daddy said pulling out his handkerchief and passed it to me. I wiped my cheek and gave it back to him.

"Can we go home?" I asked hopefully. "There's so much I want to tell you!"

"Yes." Mum said nodding.

"Lets." Daddy said smiling his brown eyes sparkling.

It was a good thing I only brought my school bag home for the holidays because apparently Daddy threw out his back and had to take it easy. Mum had been spending the last week making all of my favorite foods from homemade eclairs to Bouillabaisse. We vacationed to France every few years and I had learned to love the stew at a very young age.

"Enough about us. Tell us more about school!" Mum said turning around in her seat her curly brown hair fluttering around her shoulders.

"Well the first month was horrid because I felt so behind in all of my classes." I said watching the cars drive by out the window.

"Were you?" Daddy asked.

"No. It's just...I want to do really well." I said softly blushing.

"Oh don't worry, Hermione, you will." Mum said pulling out her sunglasses. "It's in your genes."

"I guess." I said shrugging. Daddy and Mum had both been the top of the class. They had fought each other for having the best scores. I think it was the fact that they had equal scores in all of their classes that made them take interest in each other.

"What's your favorite class?" Mum asked tying her hair up into a bun.

"Definitely Transfiguration. That's when you change one thing into something else. Professor Sprout did that at our house when she told us I was a witch. When she turned your favorite vase into a badger." I said quickly my cheeks flushing. I still wasn't used to the term witch.

"Can you turn objects into animals?" Daddy asked excitedly.

I giggled. "Not yet. Right now we're mostly doing small things. Like matches into needles, that sort of thing."

"Fascinating!" Mum said her blue eyes bright. "Would you mind if I looked over your course books?"

"Not at all. I also brought some from the library I thought you might enjoy." I said smiling.

"Like what?" Daddy asked pulling into the driveway. I looked up at the simple white house with the hammock in the front and smiled.

"How wizards deal with their teeth." Daddy and Mum traded a look smiling brightly.

"This is great, Hermione." Mum said getting out of the car.

"I agree." But I wasn't talking about the books. I was thinking about being home for three weeks with my parents.

**AN: **Please Review! Review make me happy and when I'm happy I update more frequently. When I update more often you all are happy. In the end everyone wins.** **


	11. Chapter 11

** AN: So I have a plan for some young romance to start soon. I will just have to slowly test the waters with this story since they are only eleven, well Harry is Hermione is already twelve. I love ideas for pairings, who will live and die (it is inevitable, the final battle will happen and I can't save everyone no matter how much I want to), anything, just send me a PM or tell me in a review and I'll give you the credit for it. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

The three weeks with my parents was fun. They loved every little bit about the wizarding world they could learn. It fascinated them almost as much as it intrigued me. Daddy and Mum had poured over the books I had brought home. Mum really loved my _History of Magic_ book and Daddy really enjoyed _Hogwarts: A History._

We tried going skiing for the first time. Daddy and Mum loved it but I full and sprained my ankle badly. It hurt horribly and the Muggle Doctor had told me to stay off it for two weeks. I didn't mind too badly, but it looked like I was going to have to camp out on the couch until the night before I had to go back to Hogwarts.

Daddy and Mum did the best they could to entertain me but they had work to do. The joys of owning your own dental practice. I spent most of my time reading ahead in my course books or watching corny Christmas movies on the telly.

When Christmas Eve finally came around Daddy pulled out the tree from the basement and he and Mum decorated it while I told them where to place ornaments. It was great fun but not like usual. It was depressing being stuck on the couch even though there was soft Christmas music playing in the background.

When the clock chimed at six Mum turned the lights down low with the fireplace crackling softly in the background and Daddy pulled _A Christmas Carol_ off of the large bookcase. Mum went and got me some apple cider while Daddy got comfortable in his favorite chair and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Don't start yet, Herman!" Mum yelped from the kitchen before running into the family room trying to carry three drinks.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Dear." Daddy said smiling easily. We waited for Mum to pass out the drinks and she sat down next to me on the couch and pulled the blanket over her.

"Everyone ready?" Daddy asked. Mum and I both nodded silently. He opened the book and found the right page before starting. I tried to stay awake but Daddy's voice was always so deep and calming it lulled me right to sleep, and he hadn't even finished the first page.

After Christmas the rest of my time with my parents sped by quickly. I was still camped out on the couch and I watched some American re-runs. They were okay but I was really beginning to miss Hogwarts.

The day before my return to Hogwarts Mum took me back to the doctors so they could check me over. Everything was fine, the doctor had even said so, but my ankle was tender and my gait was a little bit off.

"No one should be able to notice." Mum said walking next to me her eyes concerned.

"Even if they do it's fine." I said absently waving my hand before I got into the car. The ride home passed quickly. Mum had the radio blasting and she and I were singing along with whatever came on. It was some oldies station and it seemed whoever picked the songs really liked the Beach Boys. We were both horrible singers, Mum was tone deaf and I sometimes hit the notes but not all the time. It was great fun and was just like the summer before I had left for Hogwarts.

When we got home I quickly packed up all my things so we could leave early in the morning. Yes I loved my parents, but I was missing Hogwarts, Harry and Ron, and even my classes. I was beginning to have the dreams where I was pulled out of the wizarding world and told it was never there to begin with.

The next morning I sat at the table eating some eggs and drinking coffee. Daddy had been shocked the first time I had poured myself a full cup on the first day back from Hogwarts but hadn't cautioned me against it. It was only one cup. How much harm could that do? And compared to my parents who both drank one pot's worth, they could hardly complain.

The trip to King's Cross was much too long in my opinion and I was drumming my fingers against my knee. The moment we stopped I jumped out, my bag securely in place. Daddy and Mum wouldn't be going in with me, they had to get to their practice right away, but that was okay. I zigzagged around people and quickly made my way through the barrier before getting onto the train.

This time I was too excited to get much reading done and spent most of my time writing in my journal. No it was not a diary, I would never call it that, but I did write about my life in it. I couldn't help it. Ever since I found out about the wizarding world I needed to put all those fears and feelings somewhere. I kept it charmed so that it would only open to me. It had taken a couple of tries but I had done it! And it was third year magic! Absolutely amazing.

When the train came to a stop I made my way off and hopped into one of the horseless carriages. Unfortunately I had picked one with an older couple that was snogging passionately, which was extremely embarrassing and the older Gryffindor girl I had walked through the barrier with when I had gone home for the holidays.

She made a face at the two and turned to me her eyes widened and she smiled. "You're Hermione Granger, right? Harry's friend?"

I nodded quickly trying not to look at the couple. Something about the man was familiar but I couldn't tell what it was.

"You're on the Quidditch team, right?" I asked quickly.

"Yes, have been for awhile. Angelina and I, the girl snogging Oliver over here, are also on the team but it looks like they won't be coming up for air any time soon so I'll introduce myself. Alicia Spinnet." She said holding out her hand. I silently shook it feeling sick to my stomach. That was Oliver? It took everything to keep the smile on my face while I felt like crying.

**AN: **Please Review! Review make me happy and when I'm happy I update more frequently. When I update more often you all are happy. In the end everyone wins.** **


	12. Chapter 12

** AN: Trying to update this story more. Oh my goodness that last chapter flowed so well, like melted honey. I don't know if you could tell but man it was good. So I'm starting to think up the pairings (it won't happen for awhile yet, but it still needs to be figured out). The next thing I need to start working through are deaths and then unrepairable injuries (ie George's ear in Deathly Hallows). If you ever have any ideas for anything from someone who dies to a funny quote you want used I take anything into consideration; just send me a PM or a review and I'll give you the credit for it in the author's note. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

I walked up to the Gryffindor tower in a haze. Oliver had a girlfriend. A beautiful older girlfriend. Of course he did. I had been a fool to think anything _could_ happen.

"Are you alright, Dear?" The Fat Lady asked. I looked up staring blankly at her for a moment before I shook my head.

"Yes I'm fine. Pig Snout." The portrait opened and I walked through the hole. My mind was too busy going over everything that I didn't notice the small step down into the room. I tripped spectacularly over the step and felt a sharp pain in my ankle. The scream was out of my mouth before I could stop it as I went crashing to the floor.

"Hermione!" Harry ran over to me his eyes wide. "Are you okay?"

"It's my ankle!" I gasped trying to hold my tears in check. It was one thing to cry in front of your parents when you sprain your ankle but it's completely different when you're around your classmates. "I sprained my ankle over the holidays."

"I think you made it worse, nice entrance by the way." Ron said kneeling down next to my leg. He poked it slightly and I hissed sharply.

"Ron!" Harry snapped turning to look at the boy in question.

"Sorry! I was just checking to see how bad it is!" Ron said holding his hands up in surrender.

"Smooth, Ronald." I said grimacing. "Can one of you please help me to the hospital wing?"

"I will." Harry said wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulled me up. I had to lean heavily against Harry's side as he helped out of the portrait hole. "Does it hurt?"

"A bit." I said leaning my head against Harry's shoulder. We were about the same height but he was a little taller and it felt a bit awkward.

"Do you want me to distract you from the pain?" Harry asked wrapping his arm tightly around my waist. My heart pounded and I swallowed thickly.

"Yes please." My voice was faint and I felt funny. Not in my ankle, yes it hurt, but that wasn't what felt so strange. It was my stomach. It felt almost like butterflies were swarming around in there.

"Someone gave me an Invisibility Cloak." I gasped and looked up at Harry shocked.

"What?!" I yelped surprised. "How — an Invisibility Cloak? Really?"

"Yeah, apparently it belonged to my father." Harry said his emerald eyes sparkling. I had never seen him so happy before.

"Harry," I sighed smiling. "I'm glad."

"Yeah, me too. I actually have something of theirs. It's really fantastic." Harry ran his free hand through his hair a distant look on his face. His hair stuck up in the back even worse than usual and it made me smile.

"Have you used it yet?" I asked hopefully. Harry's eyes flicked around the hall we were walking down before he nodded. "What did you use it for?"

"Shhhh," he hissed his eyes still flicking around.

"You broke the rules!" I whisper-yelled at him as he helped me down a staircase. It felt horrible hopping down the steps and when I got to the bottom of the steps I was completely winded.

"Yes I did." Harry said bringing us to a stop before pulling me into his arms. I yelped and wrapped my arms around his neck so I wouldn't fall.

"Harry!" I hissed.

"Shush! You are having a hard enough time as it is." He said walking down the hall easily as if I weighed ten pounds instead of a hundred and ten pounds. "Anyway I went to the Restricted Section looking for Flamel."

I gasped and felt my eyes widen. "And?"

"The moment I opened the book it screamed at me. Literally. It started to wail." My mouth dropped open of its own accord. "I know, I had the same reaction. It really freaked me out and I ran from the room."

"And then what happened?" I asked enthralled by the tale.

"I almost ran into Filch and Snape and —"

"What?!" I all but screamed.

"SSShhh! I could still get in trouble for it. Anyway I slipped into the closest room with an open door and stayed in there for awhile." Harry said a strange look crossing his face.

"Was there something in the room?" I asked looking at him carefully.

"Yeah, a mirror." Harry whispered reverently.

"A mirror?" I asked bemused.

"Yeah. It showed me my deepest most desperate desire. That's what it does for everyone. It's called the Mirror of Erised." The Mirror of Erised. Erised...Erised...Er-is-ed...Desire. It spelled desire backwards!

"Desire." I whispered softy. "Erised is desire backwards."

"Never thought of that." Harry said thoughtfully his eyes slightly haunted.

"What did you see Harry?" I asked softly.

"My family. My whole family. Everyone from my parents, to my great-great grandparents. It was absolutely amazing." Harry said his eyes shimmering slightly. After a moment he cleared his throat roughly. "What do you think you would see, Hermione?"

"No clue." But that was a lie. I knew I would see Oliver in there. I shook my head before placing it on Harry's chest. "No idea at all."

**AN: Please Review! Reviews make me happy, when I'm happy I update more, when I update more you're happy. In the end everyone wins.**


	13. Chapter 13

** AN: Happy Monday everyone! Trying to update this story more. I think I have a plan forming in my mind for some of the things you all have been wondering about. No, I won't be giving you any spoilers but just know that I'm thinking and planning things. But I do need help with deaths, permanent injuries, and any pairings you might want. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

Madam Pomfrey was able to heal me fairly quickly. I told Harry to go but he stayed with me the whole time. Fifteen minutes later Harry and I were making our way back to the common room. I told him all about my Christmas vacation and my families holiday traditions.

"So your dad reads _A Christmas Carol_ every year?" Harry asked his eyes wide.

"Yes," I said nodding. "It's kind of our thing. We have a different holiday beverage every year but the book stays the same."

"Cool." Harry said nodding. We stopped outside the Fat Lady's portrait and Harry sighed. "I should get going, Quidditch practice."

"Have fun." I said watching him walk away.

"You two are very cute together." I jumped and turned to look at the Fat Lady. Did we? Oh what did she know? She was only a picture!

"Pig Snout." She humphed before opening. I rolled my eyes and made my way into the common room. Ron was working on some homework but he had a confused frown on his face.

"Hey Ron." I said dropping down next to him. "What'cha doing?"

"Snape's essay on the twelve uses of dragon's blood." Ron said flipping back and forth through his potions book.

"Want to take a break?" I asked leaning back in my chair. Ron turned to look at me slowly his eyes wide.

"Who are you and what did you do with Hermione Granger?" I made a face and crossed my arms.

"I am not that bad." I said darkly. Ron grumbled something before pulling out his chess set.

"What color do you want to be?" He asked setting up the board.

"Black." I said looking closely at the board.

"Okay, white goes first." Ron said moving a pawn. I grumbled and moved my own pawn. Twenty-five minutes later Ron beat me. I rubbed my eyes and sighed.

"Again." I said quickly moving the pieces back to their original positions. Ron sighed but we played again. We were halfway through the game, this one was taking much longer, when Harry walked through the portrait hole.

"Don't talk to me for a moment," Ron said when Harry sat down next to him, "I need to concen —" He broke off and gasped. "What's the matter with you? You look terrible."

I looked up and winced. Harry looked green and slightly terrified. Merlin... what happened?

Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry told us that Snape was going to referee the next Quidditch match. I felt sick to my stomach.

"Don't play," I said at once.

"Say you're ill," said Ron.

"Pretend to break your leg," I suggested.

"Really break your leg," said Ron.

"I can't," said Harry. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."

At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what I recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower. I winced at the thought.

Everyone fell over laughing besides me. I leapt up and performed the counter curse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling.

"What happened?" I asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry and Ron.

"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" I urged Neville trying to hide my anger. "Report him!"

Neville shook his head.

"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out. I fisted my hands angrily. What was Malfoy's problem?

Harry reached in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, it was one from the box I had given him for Christmas. He gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry.

"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin." Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.

"Thanks, Harry... I think I'll go to bed... D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?"

As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card.

"Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever-"

He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron and I.

"I've found him!" he whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here – listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"

Everything seemed to click into place. My eyes widened and I jumped to my feet. I felt elated.

"Stay there!" I said before sprinting up the staircase to my dormitory. Lavender screamed when the door slammed against the wall but I ignored her grabbing up one of the only books I hadn't been able to fit into my bag. It was big, about the size of a paving stone. I ran back downstairs ignoring Lavender's shrieks of outrage.

"I never thought to look in here!" I whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"Light?" said Ron, but I told him to be quiet until I looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to myself.

I stopped on the page and felt my eyes widen as I read the page:

_The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal._

_ There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)._

"I knew it! I knew it!" I said hopping up and down.

"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. I ignored him.

"Nicolas Flamel," I whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!"

They both stared at me with blank looks. How could they possibly not know about this?

"The what?" said Harry and Ron.

"Oh, honestly, don't you two read? Look - read that, there." I snapped shoving the book towards them. Harry and Ron read the page quickly their eyes growing wider with each word.

"See?" I said, when Harry and Ron had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Harry astonished. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it."

"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"

The next morning in Defense Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Harry and Ron were still discussing what they'd do with a Sorcerer's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team that Harry's eyes widened. He must have forgotten about the Quidditch match.

"I'm going to play," he told Ron and I. "If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them... it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win."

"Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," I said trying not to think of what Snape would do to Harry if he had the chance.

**AN: Please Review! Reviews make me happy, when I'm happy I update more, when I update more you're happy. In the end everyone wins.**


	14. Chapter 14

** AN: Trying to update this story more. I really want to get to _The Chamber of Secrets_ before the weekend so here's hoping. Maybe I'll get on a roll and get all the way to _Prisoner of Azkaban_. I'm still not completely sure who all I will save but you have to remember I can't save everyone no matter how much I want to. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

The Quidditch match passed quickly. Harry caught the Snitch so fast it was hard to believe. Ron and Neville had fought the Slytherins and missed most of the game. Ron ended up with a bloody nose and Neville was still in the hospital wing. When Harry came to the common room that night he told us something that made everything so much more complicated.

Snape had talked to Quirrel about the stone. Good lord could things get any worse?

"So we were right, it is the Sorcerer's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy — and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocus — I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through —"

"So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" I said in alarm.

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.

The weeks passed but nothing seemed to change. Snape was his usual surly self and Quirrel seemed to look worse with every passing day. Whenever I saw him I tried to give him an encouraging smile.

I started making study schedules for Harry, Ron, Neville and I. Harry and Ron groaned and grumbled when I passed them the color coded study schedule while Neville quickly looked over his own his face pale.

The teachers seemed to be thinking the same thing I was and gave us loads of homework. I worked my butt off every night in the library trying to keep up with all the work. It felt like I was drowning under all the pressure. Neville came with me to the library every night trying to work on his own homework. I helped him as best I could and he helped me with Herbology, which he had a knack for.

Once the Easter holiday passed Harry and Ron were joining me in the library. Neville was in the hospital wing from having a potion fall on him during Potions class. Snape had yelled at poor Neville and blamed Harry (again) for ruining his classmate's chances for getting good grades. What a git.

"I'll never remember this," Ron burst out, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming. Harry, who was looking up "Dittany" in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and I was flipping through my Transfiguration book, neither of us looked up until Ron said, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"

Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.

"Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got my interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St —"

"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"

Harry and I exchanged a smile.

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy —"

"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen -— come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh —"

"See you later, then," said Harry.

Hagrid shuffled off.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" I asked thoughtfully.

"Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?"

"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who looked more than ready to stop studying. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.

"Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: _Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland_; _From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide_."

My stomach dropped like a stone. Oh Hagrid, you didn't! You couldn't! He wouldn't! After all he lived in a wooden house. He wouldn't be that foolish... would he? No. He was smarter than that.

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him, " said Harry.

"But it's against our laws," said Ron. I relaxed. He wouldn't raise a dragon if it was against wizard law. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden — anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."

"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" said Harry.

"Of course there are," said Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."

"So what on earth is Hagrid up to?" I asked in a pinched voice.

"No idea." Harry and Ron said at the same time.

**AN: Please Review! Reviews make me happy, when I'm happy I update more, when I update more you're happy. In the end everyone wins.**


	15. Chapter 15

** AN: I have a plan for when Harry and Hermione get together. I can picture it so well and I absolutely love it. It's perfect. Things will begin to change (slowly) in _Chamber of Secrets _and I think you will like what I do. When Harry starts to think about Hermione in a different light I'll make more chapters from his perspective. I think I am on a roll today. It feels good to update which means you will probably get more. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

Things quickly went from bad to worse. Hagrid _did _have an illegal dragon egg. He was trying to hatch it. How he thought he could hide this, I had no idea, but he did certainly think he could. It was absolutely mental.

"Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life?" Ron grumbled on the way back to the castle. Harry and I laughed but it only lasted till we saw the huge stacks of homework we had to get through.

Harry, Ron and I worked hard on our homework but it was hard to get through it all. My eyes were itching from my spring allergies, Harry kept twirling his quill in his hand and Ron was staring at the fireplace as if it held all the answers he was looking for.

It wasn't till a week later that Harry received a note with only two words on it. _It's hatching._

I felt horribly sick the moment I saw it. Ron wanted to skive off Herbology but I refused.

"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"

"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing —"

"Shut up!" Harry whispered. Ron and I both turned to argue with him but froze when we saw Malfoy. He was smirking and his pale cheeks were flushed. Great. Just wonderful.

The moment the bell rang the three of us made our way down to Hagrid's hut. It was locked tight and I knocked on the door firmly. Hagrid peaked his head out and waved us in quickly. The three of us walked through the door and I gasped. Merlin it was hot! I could already feel myself sweating.

"It's nearly out." He said clasping his hands together.

The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.

We all drew our chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.

All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; I thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.

It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout. I squeaked and jumped back, my sleeve having caught fire. Harry quickly put the fire out with his wand. I shook and hid myself behind Harry a little bit.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. Beautiful? I thought it was mental! He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.

"Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" said Hagrid.

"Hagrid," I asked shakily, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face — he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.

"What's the matter?" Ron asked turning to Hagrid.

"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains — it's a kid — he's runnin' back up ter the school."

Harry bolted to the door and looked out. His face paled and he shook his head. "Malfoy."

Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made all of us very nervous. We spent most of our free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.

"Just let him go," Harry urged. "Set him free."

"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."

I looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his game keeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.

"I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mommy?"

"He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered in Harry's ear but I overheard him. I threw a dark look at Ron but he ignored me.

"Hagrid," said Harry loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment."

Hagrid bit his lip. "I — I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't."

Harry suddenly turned to Ron. "Charlie."

"You're losing it, too," said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?"

"No — Charlie — your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!"

"Brilliant!" I gasped grabbing Harry's arm. "How about it, Hagrid?"

And in the end, Hagrid agreed that we could send an owl to Charlie to ask him.

The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Harry and I sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. We were waiting for Ron to get back. The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of

nowhere as he pulled off Harry's invisibility cloak. He had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.

"It bit me!" he said, showing us his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby."

There was a tap on the dark window.

"It's Hedwig!" said Harry, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!"

The three of us put our heads together to read the note.

_Dear Ron,_

_ How are you? Thanks for the letter — I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon._

_ Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark._

_ Send me an answer as soon as possible._

_ Love,_

_ Charlie_

We looked at one another.

"We've got the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It shouldn't be too difficult — I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."

It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that Ron and I agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert — and Malfoy.

There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey — would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous.

Harry and I rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed.

"It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me — I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me — I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."

Harry and I tried to calm Ron down.

"It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," I said softly patting his uninjured arm, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat.

"Midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Oh no oh no — I've just remembered — Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."

Harry and I didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made us leave, saying Ron needed sleep.

"It's too late to change the plan now," Harry told me. "We haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we have got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that."

"True." I said softly but I was still worried.

We found Fang, the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail when we went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to us.

"I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage — nothin' I can't handle."

When we told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg. Hard.

"Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot — jus' playin' — he's only a baby, after all."

The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Harry and I walked back to the castle. Saturday couldn't come fast enough.

I would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if I hadn't been so worried about what we had to do. It was a very dark, cloudy night, and we were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because we'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of our way in the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall. Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.

"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."

From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to me as though the teddy was having his head torn off. Harry and I exchanged a look.

"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and I covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves.

"Mommy will never forget you!"

How we managed to get the crate back up to the castle, I never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as we heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. Up another staircase, then another — even one of Harry's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier.

"Nearly there!" Harry panted as we reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.

Then a sudden movement ahead of us made me almost drop my end of the crate. Forgetting that we were already invisible, we shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared.

Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear.

"Detention!" she shouted. I smiled brightly. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you —"

"You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter's coming — he's got a dragon!"

"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on — I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"

The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until we'd stepped out into the cold night air did we throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. I danced around in a circle smiling.

"Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!"

"Don't," Harry said trying to be serious but his lips were twitching with amusement. Harry and I waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness.

Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed Harry and I the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry and I shook hands with the others and thanked them very much.

At last, Norbert was going... going... gone.

We slipped back down the spiral staircase, my heart as light as my hands, now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon — Malfoy in detention — what could spoil our happiness?

"Well, well, well," Filch whispered, I gasped and gripped Harry's arm. He looked just as sick as I felt. "we are in trouble."

We'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower.

**AN: Please Review! Reviews make me happy, when I'm happy I update more, when I update more you're happy. In the end everyone wins.**


	16. Chapter 16

** AN: Trying to update more. Hope you like everything I'm doing. At this rate I'll be onto the _Chamber of Secrets_ by tomorrow but we'll just have to wait and see. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

Harry and I were both given detention and had fifty points taken from the both of us. Neville, in a blundering attempt to warn us, was caught too and also lost fifty points.

The three of us were hated by all the houses except Slytherin, who applauded us any time they saw us. I stopped raising my hand in class and always kept quiet. Harry tried to resign from Quidditch but Oliver almost blew a gasket. I had no idea he had such a temper!

Ron was the only person talking to me besides Harry and Neville. The four of us stuck together as best we could always working hard on our studies. The exams were coming up very fast and I was grateful.

One day Ron and I were testing each other for Astronomy when Harry came storming into the library his face pale. He quietly told us that he overheard Quirrell finally agreeing to tell Snape. Oh Merlin...

"Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell —"

"There's still Fluffy, though," I said hopefully.

"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?"

The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but I answered before Harry could.

"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."

"But we've got no proof!" said Harry. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor — who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."

I was convinced, but Ron wasn't.

"If we just do a bit of poking around —"

"No," said Harry flatly, "we've done enough poking around."

He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and started to learn the names of its moons.

The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Neville and I at the breakfast table. They were all the same:

_Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall._

_ Professor McGonagall _

I had forgotten we still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. At eleven o'clock that night, we said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there — and so was Malfoy. I had also forgotten that Malfoy had gotten a detention, too.

"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.

"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at us. I shook and pressed closer to Harry. "Oh yes... hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

We marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffling. I wondered what our punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted.

The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, I could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then I heard a distant shout.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

My heart rose; if we were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. My relief must have showed on my face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, girly — it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."

At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.

"The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night — there's all sorts of things in there — werewolves, I heard."

Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise.

"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"

Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.

"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?"

"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."

"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.

Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.

"I'm not going in that forest," he said panicked.

"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd —"

"Tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or Yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on."

Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.

"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."

He led us to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted my hair as they looked into the forest.

"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."

"I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. " So me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now — that's it — an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh — so, be careful — let's go."

The forest was black and silent. A little way into it we reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Hagrid and I took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right.

We walked in silence, our eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.

Harry darted a look at Hagrid but I felt sick to my stomach.

"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked.

"Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before."

We walked past a mossy tree stump. I could hear running water; there must have been a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.

I braced my hand against the nearest tree my stomach swooping horribly,

"You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter — GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"

Hagrid seized Harry and I and hoisted us off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of us listened. Something was

slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.

"I knew it, " he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be."

"A werewolf?" Harry suggested. I was clinging tightly to Hagrid my whole body trembling. He was patting my arm trying to comfort me.

"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now."

We walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.

"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself — I'm armed!"

And into the clearing came — was it a man, or a horse? To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. My jaw dropped. Fascinating.

"Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?"

He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.

"Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"

"Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is

Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."

"We'd noticed," I said faintly. Merlin. He looked beautiful but terrifying.

"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"

"Erm —" Harry looked stunned.

"A bit," I said timidly.

"A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."

"Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt — you seen anythin'?"

Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.

"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."

"Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin', Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"

"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."

"Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home, said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"

Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets."

A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and -bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan.

"Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"

"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"

"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured — would yeh know anythin' about it?"

Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward. "Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.

"We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. I wanted to giggle but kept my lips tightly together. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."

Harry and I followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.

"Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."

"Are there many of them in here?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, a fair few... Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs... they know things... jus' don' let on much."

"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Harry.

"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns — never heard anythin' like it before."

We walked on through the dense, dark trees. Harry kept looking nervously over his shoulder. We had just passed a bend in the path when I grabbed Hagrid's arm. Red sparks!

"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"

"You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"

We heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until I couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around us.

"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" I whispered.

"I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville... it's our fault he's here in the first place."

The minutes dragged by. My ears seemed sharper than usual. I could hear every little thing. What was going on? Where were the others?

At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Malfoy, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.

"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups — Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang an' this idiot." Hagrid leaned over and whispered something to Harry. A moment late Harry and Malfoy walked off with Fang.

Neville and I followed Hagrid slowly gripping each other tightly. He was shaking and I kept patting his hand. It was way too quiet.

My heart was pounding loudly in my chest as we followed the trail of Unicorn blood. The poor animal seemed to have been wandering around in pain. It was so sad. Why would anyone want to kill such a beautiful innocent creature?

Suddenly there was the sound of someone crashing through the trees. Neville whimpered but it was only Malfoy with Fang fast on his heels.

"Where's Harry?!" Hagrid roared. Oh Merlin! He wasn't there! Neville gave a dry sob and my stomach sank horribly.

"Something came after us! Over there!" Malfoy said pointing. The four of us crashed through the trees as fast as we could.

Harry was clinging tightly to a gorgeous centaur. His hair was a mess of leaves and twigs and his face was so pale he was giving Sir Nicholas, the Gryffindor ghost, a run for his money.

"Harry! Harry, are you all right?" I was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind me.

"I'm fine," said Harry vaguely. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."

"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."

Harry slid off his back.

"Good luck, Harry Potter," said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."

I turned to Harry confused. "What happened?"

"It's a long story. Let's wait till we get back to the common room."

**AN: Please Review! Reviews make me happy, when I'm happy I update more, when I update more you're happy. In the end everyone wins.**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Boy it feels great to write like this. I don't know how long I can do it with this story but enjoy it while it lasts. What happens is that I go in spurts for certain stories and that is happening right now. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is ****mine.**

Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for us to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake. In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Harry began to tell us what had happened in the forest.

Harry couldn't sit down. He paced up and down in front of the fire. He was still shaking.

"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort... and Voldemort's waiting in the forest... and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich..."

"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.

Harry wasn't listening.

"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so... Bane was furious... he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen... They must show that Voldemort's coming back... Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me... I suppose that's written in the stars as well."

"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.

"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off... Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."

I felt terrified but there was something niggling at the back of my mind.

"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."

The sky had turned light before we stopped talking. We went to bed exhausted, our throats sore.

I had no idea how I got through exams when I half expected Voldemort to come bursting

through the door at any moment. Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.

It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where we did our written papers. We had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an AntiCheating spell.

We had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called us one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched us turn a mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made us all nervous, breathing down their necks while we tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.

I did the best I could in my exams but my heart was pounding so hard through all of them I was afraid I would get sick. Parvati Patil thought it was just exam nerves but it was so much more than that.

Ron didn't seem as scared for some reason. I think he was in denial that You-Know-Who could ever come back.

Our very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented selfstirring cauldrons and we'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until our exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told us to put down our quills and roll up our parchment, I couldn't help cheering with the rest. All I wanted to do was sleep. I was so tired.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," I said as we joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."

I always liked to go through our exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so we wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows. "No more studying," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."

Harry was rubbing his forehead.

"I wish I knew what this means!" he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting — it's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," I suggested.

"I'm not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning... it means danger's coming..."

Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot.

"Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

Harry nodded, but he kept saying he had a nervous feeling like he forgot something. "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one."

Harry looked pale as he looked up at the sky. He seemed to be miles away when he suddenly jumped up as if he had been electrocuted.

"Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.

"I've just thought of something," said Harry. He had turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."

And then he was running towards Hagrid's hut. I ran after him not even a moment later. Ron followed grumbling.

"Why?" I panted, hurrying to keep up.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"

"What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer. My stomach was sinking. I think I knew where Harry was going with this and I hoped he was wrong.

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."

I felt stunned and saw that both Harry and Ron looked surprised.

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head — that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah... he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after... so I told

him... an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... an' then... I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks... Let's see... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted... but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy..."

"And did he — did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Well — yeah — how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep —"

Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey — where're yeh goin'?"

Harry, Ron, and I didn't speak to each other at all until we came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak — it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop

him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"

We looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.

"We'll just have to —" Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.

"What are you three doing inside?"

It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," I said quickly.

"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?"

"It's sort of secret," Harry said but I wished he hadn't because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."

"He's gone?" said Harry frantically. "Now?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time —"

"But this is important."

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"

"Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor — it's about the Sorcerer's stone —"

Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up. I was suddenly very scared of her. It had never occurred to me that Professor McGonagall was a very powerful witch.

"How do you know —?" she spluttered.

"Professor, I think -— I know — that Sn- that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."

She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"But Professor —"

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."

**AN: Please Review! Reviews make me happy, when I'm happy I update more, when I update more you're happy. In the end everyone wins.**


	18. Chapter 18

** AN: I feel like crap today and the only thing that is making me remotely happy is the thought of getting Harry and Hermione together as soon as possible in this Fanfic. I have a plan for getting them together and I think you'll like it. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

Things were quickly going from bad to worse. Harry asked me to keep watch outside of the teacher's lounge to keep an eye on Snape. Unfortunately he came out and I had to use my cover story of talking to Professor Flitwick and I lost sight of Snape. It took me awhile to get away from Flitwick and the moment I did I ran back to the Gryffindor common room.

The portrait opened and I pushed past the Weasley twins into the room. Harry and Ron were sitting by the fireplace and I ran over to them.

"I'm sorry, Harry!" I wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went."

"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said.

Ron and I turned to stare at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering.

"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first."

"You're mad!" said Ron.

"You can't!" I shrieked. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"

"SO WHAT" Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?"

He glared at us. I was close to tears. How could I have been so foolish? You-Know-Who being back would be horrible.

"You're right Harry," I said in a small voice.

"I'll use the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It's just lucky I got it back."

"But will it cover all three of us?" said Ron.

"All — all three of us?"

"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?"

"Of course not," I said briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and took through my books, there might be something useful..."

"But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too."

"Not if I can help it," I said grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that."

After dinner the three of us sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered us; I spent the whole time reading my notes and textbooks. Harry and Ron didn't talk much.

Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.

"Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs and came back down to the common room a moment later holding the Invisibility Cloak in one hand and a wooden flute in the other.

"We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us — if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own —"

"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom. Could nothing go right today?!

"Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hurriedly putting the cloak behind his back.

Neville stared at our guilty faces.

"You're going out again," he said.

"No, no, no," I said. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"

Harry looked at the grandfather clock by the door. I knew we couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.

"You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."

"You don't understand," said Harry, "this is important."

But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.

"I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll — I'll fight you!"

"Neville," Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot —"

"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing."

He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.

"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"

Harry turned to me his green eyes flashing.

"Do something," he said desperately.

I stepped forward.

"Neville," I said, "I'm really, really sorry about this."

I raised my wand.

"Petrificus Totalus!" I cried, pointing it at Neville.

Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.

I ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at me in horror. I brushed his hair out of his eyes but he still looked horrified by what I had done.

"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.

"It's the full Body-Bind," I said miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."

"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.

"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as we stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak. Harry and I stepped under a moment later and pressed close together before we started to make our way out of the portrait hole into the empty halls of Hogwarts.

**AN: Please Review! Reviews make me happy, when I'm happy I update more, when I update more you're happy. In the end everyone wins.**


	19. Chapter 19

** AN: Trying to update this story more. I hope you're enjoying it. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

The three of us slowly shuffled through Hogwarts. We had to stop once for Mrs. Norris but then we were able to continue on. It was terrifying going through Hogwarts at night.

We didn't come across anyone else until we came up to the stairs that led to the third floor corridor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.

"Who's there?" he said suddenly as we climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes towards us. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"

I shook terribly as Peeves' eyes roved back and forth.

"Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."

"Peeves," Harry said, in a hoarse whisper. My mouth dropped open in shock and I turned to my best friend. "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."

Peeves almost fell out of the air but he caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.

"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, Sir," he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake — I didn't see you — of course I didn't, you're invisible — forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."

"I have business here, Peeves," croaked Harry. "Stay away from this place tonight."

"I will, sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you."

And he scooted off

"Brilliant, Harry!" whispered Ron.

A few seconds later, we were there, outside the third-floor corridor — and the door was already ajar.

"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy."

Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon me what we were facing. Harry turned to Ron and I and took a shuddering breath.

"If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the cloak, I won't need it now."

"Don't be stupid," said Ron.

"We're coming," I said firmly.

Harry pushed the door open.

As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met my ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in our direction, even though it couldn't see us.

"What's that at its feet?" I whispered.

"Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."

"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harry. "Well, here goes..."

He put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Harry hardly drew in a breath as he played. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased — it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

"Keep playing," Ron warned Harry as we slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. I could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as we approached the giant heads. "I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"

"No, I don't!" I almost shrieked.

"All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.

"What can you see?" I asked anxiously.

"Nothing — just black — there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop."

Harry, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at himself.

"You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep."

Harry handed the flute over to me. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment I began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep.

Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Ron and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"

"Right," said Ron.

"See you in a minute, I hope..."

And Harry let go. I continued to play waiting for Harry to respond. Ron and I exchanged a worried look.

"It's okay!" he called up suddenly "it's a soft landing, you can jump!"

Ron jumped down a moment later. I waited a few seconds to make sure Ron had landed. "Come on, Hermione!"

I stopped playing and jumped. My eyes snapped shut of their own accord and I heard a distant bark. A moment later I landed with a thud and looked around. I was right next to Harry and Ron was on his other side.

"We must be miles under the school," I said frowning down. Something was funny about the plant I had landed on.

"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.

"Lucky!" I shrieked. "Look at you both!"

I leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. I had to struggle because the moment I had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around my ankles. As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.

I had managed to free myself before the plant got a firm grip on me. Now I watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.

"Stop moving!" I ordered them. "I know what this is — it's Devil's Snare!"

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" I growled thinking.

"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... what did Professor Sprout say? — it likes the dark and the damp..."

"So light a fire!" Harry choked.

"Yes — of course — but there's no wood!" I cried, wringing my hands.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"

"Oh, right!" I said, and I whipped out my wand, waved it, muttered a spell, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames I had used on Snape at the plant.

Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and the boys were able to pull free.

"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," said Harry as he joined me by the wall, wiping sweat off his face.

"Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis — 'there's no wood,' honestly."

"This way," said Harry, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward.

Merlin! What would happen next?!

**AN: Please Review! Reviews make me happy, when I'm happy I update more, when I update more you're happy. In the end everyone wins.**


	20. Chapter 20

** AN: Happy Tuesday everyone! So I'm trying to update this story as much as possible so we can get to the romance part of it. After all that's what everyone is waiting for. Just a little warning everyone, I have a feeling this story will be long. And one more thing, this story won't get an M rating until the end of _The Goblet of Fire_ or the beginning of_ The Order of the Phoenix_. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

All I could hear apart from our footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and I was reminded of Gringotts. It seemed to have the same unpleasant feel of that place. Harry looked pale and slightly green while Ron kept looking back and forth for anything out of place.

"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered.

Harry and I stopped and listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead. What in the world?

"Do you think it's a ghost?" I whispered.

"I don't know... sounds like wings to me." Ron said his eyebrows knitted together in concentration.

"There's light ahead — I can see something moving." Harry said walking forward. Ron and I exchanged a look before following after him.

We reached the end of the passageway and saw before us a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

I had never seen birds like this. Maybe they were native to the wizard world? I darted a look at Ron and he was staring nervously at the birds.

"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.

"Probably," said Harry. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once... well, there's no other choice... I'll run."

He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms, and sprinted across the room. I expected the little birds to swarm and try to peck at him but nothing happened. He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked.

Ron and I followed him. The birds didn't come after us either. Strange. We tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when I tried my Alohamora charm.

"Now what?" said Ron.

"These birds... they can't be here just for decoration," I said looking up at them. There was something strange going on. Something about the birds didn't look quite right. They looked like they were glittering... glittering?!

"They're not birds!" Harry said suddenly, seeming to come to the same conclusion that I did. "They're keys! Winged keys — look carefully. So that must mean..." he looked around the chamber while Ron and I squinted up at the flock of keys. It must have been Flitwick! He charmed the keys! Amazing! "... yes – look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"  
I felt sick to my stomach. Flying? We had to fly?

"But there are hundreds of them!" I exclaimed looking around. It could take hours and we couldn't afford to wait much longer! Snape could already have the stone for You-Know-Who!

Ron examined the lock on the door. "We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one — probably silver, like the handle."

We each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. My stomach jolted painfully with each dip and dive I made as I grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.

I was trying to grab one of the keys when Harry shouted. He scared me so badly I almost fell of the broom.

"That one!" He yelled to us. "That big one — there — no, there — with bright blue wings — the feathers are all crumpled on one side."

Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom. Good Merlin!

"Are you alright?" I shrieked clutching the handle of my broom tightly.

"Bloody hell! I'm fine..." Ron groaned rubbing his head.

"We've got to close in on it!" Harry called, not taking his eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come at it from above — Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down and I'll try and catch it. Right, NOW!"

Ron dived while I rocketed upward, the key dodged the both of us, and Harry streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Harry leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and my cheers echoed around the high chamber.

I was clapping and cheering when I fell off my broom. Ron was too busy landing to notice and Harry was holding up the key like it was a snitch. For one moment I was free falling, my stomach churning horribly and the next I landed on the ground with a small thud. My bad ankle hurt horribly and my eyes smarted. That hurt! I must have sprained it again. Great...

I swallowed thickly, ignoring the stabbing pain as I pushed myself to my feet, and watched as Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned — it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.

"Ready?" Harry asked turning to Ron and I, his hand on the door handle. Ron and I exchanged a look before nodding and he pulled the door open. We walked through the door my heart pounding in my chest... I had no idea how much more I could take...

**AN: Please Review! Reviews make me happy, when I'm happy I update more, when I update more you're happy. In the end everyone wins.**


	21. Chapter 21

** AN: Hope you all like all the updates. I will most definitely get to the _Chamber of Secrets_ today. With the earlier novels (i.e. the first three or four) there won't be huge changes. To be perfectly honest there _can't_ be huge changes because that changes the story-line too much. Or at least that's my opinion. Now the Chamber of Secrets part of my Fanfic probably won't be too long since Hermione gets petrified and we already know what happened with Harry and Ron. I haven't completely decided what I'll do with that so we'll see what happens. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

The next chamber was so dark I couldn't see anything at all. But as we stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.

We were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than we were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing us, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and I shivered slightly — the towering white chessmen had no faces. It was creepy.

"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."

Behind the white pieces I could see another door.

"How?" I asked nervously.

"I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."

He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron. My heart pounded in my chest. Good Merlin! Would this be like real wizard's chess?

"Do we — er — have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron turned to Harry and I.

"This needs thinking about he said. I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces..."

Harry and I stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess —"

"We're not offended," said Harry quickly. "Just tell us what to do."

"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle."

"What about you?" Harry asked his face pale. I wasn't feeling too good myself.

"I'm going to be a knight," said Ron.

The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Harry, Ron, and I took. I tried to move confidently but my hands were shaking.

"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes... look..."

A white pawn had moved forward two squares.

Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. My knees were trembling. What if we lost?

"Harry — move diagonally four squares to the right." Ron said pointing.

Our first real shock came when our other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, face down.

My mouth had dropped open in shock and Harry had ducked to cover his head when a stray piece flew towards him.

"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."

Every time one of our men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry or I was in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as we had lost black ones. Honestly the whole thing was terrifying.

"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think let me think..."

The white queen turned her blank face toward him.

"Yes..." said Ron softly, "It's the only way... I've got to be taken."

"NO!" Harry and I shouted.

"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me — that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"

"But —" I started.

"Do you want to stop Snape or not?" Ron shouted furiously.

"Ron —" Harry tried to say something but Ron cut him off angrily.

"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!" My heart stuttered. He was right. There was no alternative.

"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go — now, don't hang around once you've won."

He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor —

I screamed but stayed on my square — the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out. Tears swam in my eyes and I felt sick. What if he was... I shook my head. No. He would be fine.

I turned to look at Harry. Shaking, he moved three spaces to the left.

The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. We had won, but at what cost? The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry and I charged through the door and up the next passageway.

"What if he's —?" I didn't want to finish my sentence.

"He'll be all right," said Harry but he didn't look convinced. "What do you reckons next?"

"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's." My voice shook as I spoke.

We had reached another door.

"All right?" Harry whispered.

"Go on." I said my heart pounding in my chest and Harry pushed it open.

**AN: Please Review! Reviews make me happy, when I'm happy I update more, when I update more you're happy. In the end everyone wins.**


	22. Chapter 22

** AN: Trying to update this story more. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

A disgusting smell filled my nostrils, making me gag and I pulled my robes up over my nose. Harry did the same. Eyes watering, I saw, flat on the floor in front of us, a troll even larger than the one Harry and Ron had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head. Good Merlin!

"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispered as we stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe."

He pulled open the next door, my heart pounded and I hardly dared to look at what came next — but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.

"Snape's," said Harry. "What do we have to do?"

We stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind us in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward.

We were trapped.

"Look!" I seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looked over my shoulder to read it. I could feel his breath tickling against my skin and I shivered.

_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_

_Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,_

_One among us seven will let you move ahead,_

_Another will transport the drinker back instead,_

_Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_

_Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line._

_Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,_

_To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_

_First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_

_You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_

_Second, different are those who stand at either end,_

_But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_

_Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_

_Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_

_Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_

_Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._

I let out a great sigh and smiled brightly. Harry looked shocked but I ignored him giggling.

"Brilliant," I said. "This isn't magic — it's logic — a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."

"But so will we, won't we?" Harry said his eyes wide.

"Of course not," I said quickly. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."

"But how do we know which to drink?" Harry asked his eyes wide.

"Give me a minute." I said looking over the paper several time. I walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to myself and pointing at them. The first one in line was poison. I continued to walk back and forth. Nettle wine was the second one in on both sides. To the left of the Nettle wine was a poison so I could count that out. I read back over the paper again. The smallest and biggest bottle's weren't poison, one was nettle wine. _Different are those that stand at either end but if you would move onward neither is your friend._ The one on the end was to move back! Which meant the little one was to move forward! I clapped my hands happily.

"Got it," I said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire — toward the Stone."

Harry looked at the tiny bottle.

"There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow."

We looked at each other. My heart was pounding and I felt slightly sick. I didn't want him to go on.

"Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"

I pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.

"You drink that," said Harry. My mouth dropped open. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy — go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really."

"But Harry — what if You-Know-Who's with him?" I asked my voice shaking. He couldn't fight him again! He just couldn't. I cared about him too much! I liked him! My eyes widened in shock and my heart stuttered. I liked Harry...

"Well — I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. I blinked owlishly. This wasn't how it was supposed to go! "I might get lucky again."

My lip trembled, and I dashed at Harry and threw my arms around him.

"Hermione!" He yelped in surprise.

"Harry — you're a great wizard, you know." I whispered faintly pressing my face into his neck. He swallowed loudly and I pressed a small kiss against his cheek.

"I'm not as good as you," said Harry nervously flattening his hair as I pulled away. His face was slightly flushed and his green eyes were wide.

"Me!" I said. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and — oh Harry — be careful!"

"You drink first," said Harry. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"

"Positive," I said. I took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered. It was like swallowing a cube of ice.

"It's not poison?" said Harry anxiously.

"No — but it's like ice." I whispered faintly.

"Quick, go, before it wears off." Harry said quickly.

"Good luck — take care." I said my legs shaking slightly. This was all too much. I liked Harry and he was going to fight You-Know-Who I just knew it!

"GO!" Harry said his eyes flashing red. I blinked in surprise and turned walking straight through the purple fire wanting nothing more than to cry.

**AN: ****Please Review! Reviews make me happy, when I'm happy I update more, when I update more you're happy. In the end everyone wins.**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: Sorry for not updating sooner everyone. It just gets so hard sometimes to put up a new chapter when you have writer's block. The chapters end up being stinted and awkward and they don't flow very well. Anyway here's hoping the chapters come out better. Now on a little side note the stories will slowly start to change a little each chapter since Hermione has just realized that she likes Harry more than a friend. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

_**Hermione POV**_

It took me awhile to wake Ron. He was groggy and his eyes weren't focusing on me very well when he finally woke.

"Ron! Ron can you hear me?" I asked trying to help him keep his balance as he sat up. He was swaying from side to side.

"Ron?" He grunted in response. It took me a few minutes to pull him to his feet. He was shaky at best as I led him to the key room. The giant chess set let us pass without a word. Ron leaned heavily against my side and moaned in pain with each step I took.

"We're almost there." I said wrapping an arm around his waist. He nodded absently blood oozing down the side of his face, his eyes trying to focus on me and failing.

When we finally got to the key room I let my arm drop from Ron's waist and reached for one of the brooms. There was a soft thump and I turned around so fast I got a crick in my neck. Ron was on the floor his face as pale and gray as day old porridge.

"Ron? Come on Ron we have to get Dumbledore." I said pulling him as best I could. Ron's head bobbed a little and I helped him onto the broom. It was terrifying trying to fly with only my legs to steer. I had to keep my arms around Ron's waist so he wouldn't fall off. His head was leaning against my chest and blood was smearing all over my shirt but I didn't care.

"Come on Ron we're almost there." I whispered softly into his ear but he didn't respond. My legs shook and my heart pounded as I took my eyes away from where I was flying to look down at Ron. Something about the way he was staring straight ahead was making me nervous. It was vague and empty.

"RON!" His eyes slowly slid to mine and he grunted. "Come on Ron, just hold on."

I whipped out my wand and pointed it at the Devil's Snare. The bluebell fire flew out of my wand and the plant shied away so we could fly through. I guided the broom through the little tunnel that led towards Fluffy.

The air was cold and it smelled musty as I flew us up the tunnel as fast as I could. My hair flew back and I shivered my teeth chattering. I darted a look down at Ron and groaned. He had passed out. Hopefully he didn't have a concussion.

Fluffy barked loudly the moment I flew through the hole in the floor but I ignored her. I quickly dove out of the way of one of his heads and flew out the door. The moment we got through the doorway the staircases changed. I tried to slow us down but Ron and I slammed into one of the moving staircases before I could stop.

Ron and I both fell to the ground. I groaned when my head slammed against the stone staircase while Ron didn't react at all. It hurt horribly and everything started to spin around me. My stomach rolled and I was afraid I would be sick.

"Hermione? Ronald?" That voice sounded familiar but my head was swimming so much I couldn't pay attention to what the man was saying. A pair of sparkling blue eyes hovered over me and I groaned. "Harry's fighting Lord Voldemort isn't he?"

"Yes." I moaned faintly. Dumbledore ran through the doorway. My eyes tried to focus on him but it was to hard. Everything was swirling around and I tried to make myself stand up. When I tried to move the ground swayed and I fell over. The last thing I saw as my head slammed against the ground was a faint white phoenix flying through the air.

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I think about the story more. The more I think about it the more I create new twists and turns for the story and I end up updating more.**


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: Good morning lovely readers and happy Tuesday. I am very sorry for not updating this story sooner. I've just been working very hard of one of my stories and everything else has kind of fallen to the wayside. Here's hoping I update this story a lot more in the coming weeks. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

_**Hermione POV**_

Ron and I woke in the hospital wing sometime later. Neither of us knew how much time had passed. I had a broken foot that Madam Pomfrey was diligently working over and Ron had a huge cut across his forehead that was wrapped up with white gauze. My foot hurt horribly, after all it was my bad foot, and no matter how much _Quick Fix Bone Mender_ she gave me my foot still hurt. Eventually Madam Pomfrey, lips pursed angrily, passed me a pair of Muggle crutches.

Professor Dumbledore and Snape came in carrying Harry shortly after Madam Pomfrey had given me a potion for the pain. I screamed at the sight of Snape and Ron dove for his wand on the nightstand but Snape already had it in his long pale fingers.

"Don't even think about it, Weasley." Snape hissed his black eyes glittering dangerously.

"I'm afraid that you children came to the wrong conclusion of who was trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone." Dumbledore said gently placing Harry on the bed next to mine. He was horribly pale and looked... he looked... oh lord was he dead?

"Then who was it?" Ron asked loudly but I ignored him. I carefully pushed myself off the bed and maneuvered myself next to Harry.

"Professor Quirrel." I blinked and looked up slowly. Snape looked furious and shook his head before staring at Harry. A strange look crossed his face too fast for me to understand it but whatever it was he hid it quickly.

I ignored Ron as he and Dumbledore talked through everything that happened. Apparently Harry had passed out before Dumbledore could ask him anything. I gently caressed Harry's hand as Madam Pomfrey gave him one potion after another. A few minutes later she took a step back shaking her head.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked looking at her.

"I've done all I can. Now all we can do is wait for him to wake up." Madam Pomfrey said taking another step back. She pulled a white handkerchief out of her pocket and dabbed at her eyes.

"Poor boy." I opened my mouth to respond but she walked away.

I stayed by Harry's side until Madam Pomfrey said Ron and I were healthy enough to leave later that day. She gave me one last Pepperup potion and then I was free to go. Ron and I both gave Harry one last look before leaving, he still hadn't woken up.  
Ron asked me all about what had happened after he had been knocked out and I told him. He was amazed at the fact that I had been able to figure out Snape's riddle. I told him everything but the little moment between Harry and I when I kissed him. It was too personal to share. After all I had only just figured out that I liked Harry as more than a friend. Just the thought made me flush.

"Puffapods." The Fat Lady's portrait swung open before giving the two of us curious looks. We barely took a step through the hole when there was a huge roar. I shrieked in surprise but it was only our housemates clapping and cheering wildly. Even Neville was smiling and cheering.

_** Three Days Later**_

Ron and I were in the Great Hall talking quietly ignoring the stares of the other students. It was the End-Of-Term Feast and neither of us knew if Harry would be coming down to join us. He had only woken up earlier that day.

"But don't you think —" A deafening hush enveloped the Great Hall and I looked up. Harry was standing in the doorway his hand heavily bandaged and scratches over his face and arms. It seemed that everyone started to talk all at once. Harry walked over to us a determined look on his face. He sat between Ron and I looking as if he wanted the ground to swallow him.

Thankfully Dumbledore walked in a moment later and raised his hands. The hall instantly quieted.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts...

"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy- two."

A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. I could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight.

"Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," Dumbledore said. "However, recent events must be taken into account."

The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little. What was going on?

"Ahem," Dumbledore said. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes...

"First — to Mr. Ronald Weasley..."

Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn.

"...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Harry and I were both in too much shock to cheer. Percy was loudly telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

At last there was silence again.

"Second — to Miss Hermione Granger..." I stiffened in shock my eyes widening, "for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

I buried my face in my arms and tried to control the tears that wanted to fall. I had gotten back the points I had lost from Norbert. "Third — to Mr. Harry Potter..." Dumbledore said. The room went deadly quiet, "for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."

The din was deafening. Some must have figured out that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points — exactly the same as Slytherin. We had tied for the house cup — if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.

Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.

"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and I stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before. Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs who then nudged me and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him.

"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration."

He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. He almost looked scary.

All the Weasleys were jumping around happily and cheering, Neville was accepting hugs from crying girls and Harry wrapped me in a hug. It was, one of, the best evenings of my life... I would never, ever forget this moment, or how happy I was.

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I think about the story more. The more I think about it the more I create new twists and turns for the s******tory and I end up updating more. Which in the end makes everyone happy.******_**Quick Fix Bone Mender**_**** is my own creation.**


	25. Chapter 25

** AN: Happy Tuesday my wonderful readers. I wanted to get a chapter up for this story before I leave for the cabin tomorrow morning. Since I will be leaving so early I hope to update twice today. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

** _Hermione POV_**

After the End-Of-Term Feast time passed much more quickly than the rest of the year had. Suddenly, my wardrobe was empty, my trunk was packed, I brought back every book I had borrowed from the library, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," Fred Weasley said sadly); Hagrid was there to take everyone down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; everyone was boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as we sped past Muggle towns; pulling off our wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.

Malfoy had given my Muggle attire a strange look but didn't say anything. Harry and Ron came out from the compartment and stood behind me. Malfoy sneered at us one last time before jumping off of the train followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

It took quite a while for everyone to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting people go through the gate in twos and threes so we wouldn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.

"You must come and stay this summer," Ron said, "both of you — I'll send you an owl."

"Thanks," Harry said smiling brightly, his green eyes sparkling, "I'll need something to look forward to." People jostled the three of us as we moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Some of them called:

"Bye, Harry!" Parvati Patil said waving, a large smile on her face.

"See you, Potter!" Dean Thomas said before walking through the barrier with Neville and Seamus Finnigan.

"Still famous," Ron said, grinning at him. I giggled and Harry gave me a smile over his shoulder.

"Not where I'm going, I promise you," Harry said a moment later. Harry, Ron, and I passed through the gateway together. I kept my eyes shut and Harry and Ron both held my hands. "There he is, Mum, there he is, look!"

It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.

"Harry Potter!" she squealed. I frowned and turned to look at Harry. His green eyes were wide with shock. "Look, Mum! I can see —"

"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point."

Mrs. Weasley smiled down at us.

"Busy year?" She asked.

"Very," Harry said, running a hand through his hair. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley."

"Oh, it was nothing, dear." Mrs. Weasley said patting his cheek.

"Ready, are you?" A harsh voice said from behind us.

It was a large purple-faced man, he had a mustache, and looked furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Behind the man stood a horse-faced woman and large boy about Harry's age, they both looked terrified at the very sight of Harry.

"You must be Harry's family!" Mrs. Weasley said, smiling brightly.

"In a manner of speaking," Mr. Dursley said darkly. "Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day." He walked away followed by his wife and son.

I stared at the man in shock. He was horrible. How could Harry live with people like that? How could Dumbledore send him to people like that.

Harry hung back from his family and turned to Ron and I. "See you over the summer, then."

"Hope you have — er — a good holiday," I said, watching the trio walk out the door without a backward glance. Merlin...

"Oh, I will," Harry said, a smirky smile spreading across his face. Ron and I exchanged a surprised look. "They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer..."

Ron laughed outright and I gave a little giggle. Harry gave me one last hug and Ron a slap on the back before rushing after his family. Before he walked out of the train station he gave us one last wave.

"Hermione, dear, where are your parents?" Mrs. Weasley, asked from behind Ron and me. I turned around and sighed.

"Oh they should be here soon and —" I started but was cut off by a shriek.

"Hermione!"

"Little Bug!"

"Mum! Daddy!" I yelled, running over to my parents. Mum smelled amazing, like cinnamon, nutmeg and other spices. Daddy smelled like spearmint toothpaste. They smelled of home.

"Oh, Little Bug, it's so good to see you." Daddy said, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"Lets get going, dear, we have so much to do. Daddy and I have made lots of plans for the summer. We're going to France again!" Mum said, pulling me towards the door.

"Would you give me one sec?" I asked, smiling at my parents. They both nodded, looking bewildered. I couldn't blame them, I usually loved going to France.

I gave Mum and Daddy one last smile before running over to the Weasleys. Mrs. Weasley was lecturing the twins about something while Percy stood off to the side looking disapproving. Ginny and Ron were standing off to the side, Ginny was holding her arm to her body which was bright green. The twins had done something to their little sister and to be perfectly honest she looked close to tears. Ron was trying to calm her but he looked nervous. A moment later Ginny started to cry.

"Ah, Gin, it's not that bad. It'll come off. Mum will know what to do." Ron said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

I bit my lip and took a step back. This was a family moment. I couldn't break Ron away from his family just so I could say good bye. Besides he would write me letters all summer, he had said so. I walked back to my parents and the three of us left. At the last moment I chanced a look back at my friend. He was hugging his little sister to his chest and I smiled. When he realized I was looking he flushed red and gave me a little wave. I waved back and walked out to the car with my parents by my side.

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I think about the story more. The more I think about it the more I create new twists and turns for the story and I end up updating more. Which in the end makes everyone happy.**


	26. Chapter 26

** AN: Happy Sunday everyone! The cabin was very relaxing (I read three books). I'm hoping to update tomorrow but since I'm babysitting my niece I'm not really sure if I'll be able to post anything. It really depends on how well she does and if she actually takes a nap. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.**

** _Hermione POV_**

Daddy, mum and I drove straight to France from Kings Cross Station. I already had my trunk and most of my books anyway so there was no point driving home so I could pack more things.

We ended up staying for a month. It was amazing, like always, but it was also weird. The weirdness came from the fact that no one was trying to come after me or my friends. Or at least I didn't think anyone was going after them. The other thing that was weird was that I would see a witch or wizard every once in awhile. It was easy to spot them since they always wore cloaks but it was crazy weird, the fact that I had never noticed them before was astounding.

I also worked on homework in France. There was a wonderful little cafe where I would drink coffee and read through my books and worked on the essays that would be due the first week of school. When daddy and mum realized that I had my magic things out they were scared at first but I showed them the books. Before I had left school I had changed all of my school book covers to Muggle covers so that I could work on my homework anywhere.

Ron and I had been writing letters but I hadn't heard a word from Harry. It was starting to make me nervous, especially since Ron was talking about going to Harry's with Fred and George in an enchanted car. It sounded like one of the stupidest ideas I had ever heard, but I knew I wouldn't be able to stop him.

More than anything I wanted to talk to Harry. To ask him about what our kiss meant, if it had even meant anything to him. But I was way too scared to admit my feelings to him. I liked him but I was terrified that he didn't like me. I was not going to say anything unless I was sure I knew how he felt.

I received one last letter from Ron before daddy, mum and I left for home. Harry, apparently, had gotten a letter from the Ministry about using a Hover Charm. I was shocked. Harry knew as well as I did that we couldn't use magic. Ron expected foul play and was leaving with the twins tonight to check on him. I wrote him as fast as I could and sent the letter back with Errol. The last thing anyone needed was for Harry to get in even more trouble for flying an enchanted car.

The car ride home was faster than normal since I passed out about a half hour into the ride. I hadn't slept well the night before, I had had nightmares about flying keys of death. They pecked at me till my skin came off in chunks. It was horrible. When I woke up I was shocked to see that we weren't that far from home. Probably five minutes at most.

I smiled the moment I spotted my home. It was beautiful and perfect. The house was white and the rope hammock swayed in the breeze. It was perfect. It was home.

The first thing I did when I got in the house was a shower. It was warm and perfect and helped me unwind. I could hear mum and Daddy banging around but I ignored the sounds.

Everything seemed strange as I unpacked my things in my room. For some reason, my room didn't feel quite like my room. Yes, it had the bed I had slept in since I was six. Yes, it had the posters from my favorite Broadway shows and music groups on the walls. But it was pink, a color I used to love but not so much anymore. I was more partial to red at the moment.

I was putting my last book up in one of my many bookshelves when my mum yelled. "Hermione, you have a letter!"

"Coming!" I yelled, before making my way out of my room. Mum was methodically cleaning the kitchen while daddy was nowhere in sight. He must have gone to check on the family practice and make sure everything was running smooth there.

Errol was wheezing on the table, a letter in his beak. The poor owl looked like he would pass out at any moment. In fact he fell back with a little thud and shut his eyes. My eyes widened and I quickly checked to make sure he was okay but he had only fallen asleep.

I quickly pulled the letter off of Errol and flipped it open. Harry had gotten to Ron's just fine but Mrs. Weasley had been furious when she found out. They agreed to going to Diagon Alley in a week and were excited about it. Harry had even put his own letter in the envelope, he said it was to save a trip for Errol. But I was confused, why didn't he just send Hedwig? I frowned but quickly read the letter.

Harry explained about a house elf named Dobby who had made his letters stop. The little elf had also done everything he could to keep Harry out of Hogwarts, including magic in front of Muggles. My eyes seemed to grow bigger and bigger as I read the letter. When I finished I was in shock, it seemed that we would have another interesting year at Hogwarts... and to think the school year hadn't even started yet.

****AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I think about the story more. The more I think about it the more I create new twists and turns for the story and I end up updating more. Which in the end makes everyone happy****.** **


	27. Chapter 27

** AN: Happy Tuesday my wonderful readers. Sorry for not updating yesterday, my niece didn't want to take a nap. Now on a little side note: Yes, it has mostly been similarities to the first story but things will slowly begin to change. I still find it weird for to twelve year old to date, so I will be waiting a little longer on the relationship. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

** _Hermione POV_**

I pulled on one of my curls as daddy pulled out of the driveway and started to drive towards the Leaky Cauldron. We didn't live too far away so it would be a quick drive.

I was so excited to see Harry and Ron I didn't know what to do with myself. Half the time I tried to read and the other half I sang along with the radio. Yes, I knew I was a horrible singer but at least it helped to pass the time. Mum eventually pulled out a ABBA CD and put it into the player. Mum and I sang along while daddy smiled from his seat.

Before I knew it daddy was trying to find a parking spot and mum was fidgeting with her big white purse. I pushed myself up higher in my seat, trying to get a better look out the windshield, but my view wasn't a very good one. We must have gone through the back way. Daddy pulled into a parking spot and I jumped out of the car before Daddy even put the car in park.

"Hermione!" Mum called after me, but I ignored her. I was just too excited. My whole body seemed to thrum with energy.

"I'm excited," I said, bouncing on my toes. "Come on, lets go!"

"Little Bug, the stores will still be there when we get there. A few minutes won't change that." Daddy said, pulling off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt.

"I know but —"

"But nothing, Hermione, just let me get out of the car." Mum said, taking way too much time in my opinion, to get out of the car. By the time daddy and mum were ready, I was close to screaming at them to hurry up.

"Okay, first stop is Gringotts." Daddy said, entwining his hand with mum's. I nodded as we made our way down the street. My heart pounded as my eyes zeroed in on the sign for the Leaky Cauldron. Daddy and mum couldn't see it but I assured them it was there. I pulled them into the bar and we quickly made our way to the brick wall in the back alley. Tom, the bartender, followed after us and tapped the wall for us. I smiled my thanks and we quickly made our way into Diagon Alley before the brick wall closed behind us.

The whole street was bustling with activity. Witches and wizards were wandering all over the place. Some were talking about the prices and how everything was more expensive than usual. A bunch of young kids were looking in the window at a sleek looking broomstick with a fancy handle. I ignored everyone and made my way up the gleaming white steps.

I turned and looked out over the crowds of people. No one really stuck out but then a huge man caught my eye. Hagrid? My eyes widened as I took in the black-haired and green-eyed boy with glasses next to him.

"Harry!"

_**Harry POV**_

I jumped and looked up at the shining building of Gringotts. A bushy-haired girl, with a wide smile, and teeth that were slightly too large for her face was jumping up and down and waving at me.

"Hermione?" I asked in surprise. She looked different, older, a little curvier maybe? It took her only a moment to run down the steps towards me. She wrapped her arms around me and I almost stumbled back with the force of the hug. When she pulled away her chocolate-colored eyes were sparkling.

"What happened to your glasses? Hello, Hagrid — Oh, it's wonderful to see you two again — Are you coming into Gringotts, Harry?" Hermione was bouncing she was so happy. She was almost like a little bunny rabbit. It was very cute. That thought stopped me short and I felt myself flush in embarrassment. I tried to remember what we had been talking about... oh... right... Gringotts...

"As soon as I've found the Weasleys," I said quickly.

"Yeh won't have long ter wait," Hagrid said with a grin.

Hermione and I looked around, her hair hit me in the face and it smelled like coconuts: Sprinting up the crowded street were Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and Mr. Weasley.

"Harry," Mr. Weasley panted. "We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far . He mopped his glistening bald patch. "Molly's frantic — she's coming now —"

"Where did you come out?" Ron asked, looking between Hermione and I curiously.

"Knockturn Alley," Hagrid said grimly. I frowned watching Hermione and Ron hug.

"Excellent." Fred and George said together.

"We've never been allowed in," Ron said enviously, pulling away from Hermione.

"I should ruddy well think not," growled Hagrid.

Mrs. Weasley now came galloping into view, her handbag swinging wildly in one hand, Ginny just clinging onto the other.

"Oh, Harry — oh, my dear — you could have been anywhere —"

Gasping for breath she pulled a large clothes brush out of her bag and began sweeping off the soot Hagrid hadn't managed to beat away. Mr. Weasley took my glasses, gave them a tap of his wand, and returned them, good as new. I smiled in thanks and slipped them back on.

"Well, gotta be off," Hagrid said, who was having his hand wrung by Mrs. Weasley ("Knockturn Alley! If you hadn't found him, Hagrid!"). "See yer at Hogwarts!" And he strode away, head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the packed street.

"Guess who I saw in Borgin and Burkes?" I asked Ron and Hermione as we climbed the Gringotts steps. "Malfoy and his father."

"Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" Mr. Weasley asked, sharply behind us.

"No, he was selling —" I started.

"So he's worried," Mr. Weasley said with grim satisfaction. "Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something..."

"Actually, they said a lot of things I didn't understand in the store." I said, running a hand through my hair.

"Like what?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking grim.

"Well Mudblood was — what? What is it?" I asked frowning. Hermione had gone very pale and everyone else looked furious.

"We don't use that word." Mrs. Weasley said, giving Hermione a look. She was pulling nervously on one of her curls.

"It's used for Muggle-borns, Harry, It means dirty blood." Hermione whispered, her eyes shiny. "Some wizards or witches think they're better because they're what people call Pure-blood."

"Just because you have Muggle parents?" I asked, shocked. Hermione nodded quickly, swallowing thickly. "But that's stupid. You're the smartest person in our grade."

"Most people don't agree with it, Harry, but some do." Mrs. Weasley said tremulously.

"I could strangle Malfoy for saying that." Ron growled, wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist. She looked close to tears.

"Draco could be expelled for using that term." Mr. Weasley said, looking furious.

"You be careful, Arthur," Mrs. Weasley said sharply as we were bowed into the bank by a goblin at the door. "That family's trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew —"

"So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" Mr. Weasley said indignantly, but he was distracted almost at once by the sight of Hermione's parents, who were standing nervously at the counter that ran all along the great marble hall, waiting for Hermione to introduce them.

"But you're Muggles!" Mr. Weasley said delightedly. "We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!" He pointed excitedly at the tenpound notes in Mr. Granger's hand.

"Meet you back here," Ron said to Hermione as the Weasleys and I were led off to the underground vaults by another Gringotts goblin. I looked back at Hermione one last time before I could lose sight of her. Her shoulders were hunched and she looked sad. I bit my lip, wanting to touch her hand, to tell her that everything would be okay. My stomach jolted and I quickly looked away. What was wrong with me?

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I think about the story more. The more I think about it the more I create new twists and turns for the story and I end up updating more. Which in the end makes everyone happy.**


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: Happy Wednesday to every one of you lovely readers who follow this story. I have a plan for when Harry and Hermione start dating (sort of) but we'll see what happens, it could easily change especially if someone comes up with a better idea. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.**

_**Hermione POV**_

I waited by my parents as they exchanged some Muggle money for a large handful of Galleons, the books needed for the school year were rather expensive. It didn't take the exchange very long, fifteen minutes at most, but the Weasleys and Harry were already coming back out with the goblin.

Mr. Weasley quickly talked my parents into getting drinks at the Leaky Cauldron. They accepted graciously and I had a funny feeling Mr. Weasley would be answering just as many questions as he asked.

"Okay, Hermione, buy only the books and paper you need. No extras this year." Daddy said, passing me a small purse of coins.

"Okay." I said, slipping it into my pocket. They walked off to the Leaky Cauldron and I stifled a laugh as I heard Mr. Weasley ask, "How do air-o-planes fly?"

"He never changes," Mrs. Weasley, said shaking her head. "We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your schoolbooks. And not one step down Knockturn Alley!"

Harry, Ron and I laughed as we turned and walked down the street. Ron stood close to my side while Harry kept darting looks at me. It made me feel a little self conscience but I ignored the butterflies in my stomach.

Harry bought Ron and I large strawberry-and-peanut-butter ice creams, which they slurped

happily as we wandered up the alley, examining the fascinating shop windows. Ron gazed longingly at a full set of Chudley Cannon robes in the windows of Quality Quidditch Supplies until I dragged them off to buy ink and parchment next door. In Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, we ran into Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who were stocking up on Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks, and in a tiny junk shop full of broken wands, lopsided brass scales, and old cloaks covered in potion stains we found Percy, deeply immersed in a small and deeply boring book called Prefects Who Gained Power.

"A study of Hogwarts prefects and their later careers, " Ron read aloud off the back cover. "That sounds fascinating . . . ."

"Go away," Percy snapped.

"'Course, he's very ambitious, Percy, he's got it all planned out ... He wants to be Minister of Magic. . . " Ron told Harry and I in an undertone as we left Percy to his book.

An hour later, we headed for Flourish and Blotts. We were by no means the only ones making our way to the bookshop. As we approached it, I saw to my surprise a large crowd jostling out

side the doors, trying to get in. The reason for this was proclaimed by a large banner stretched across the upper windows:

GILDEROY LOCKHART

will be signing copies of his autobiography

MAGICAL ME

today 12:30 P.m. to 4:30 P.m.

"We can actually meet him!" I squealed, before I could stop myself. "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!"

The crowd seemed to be made up mostly of witches around Mrs. Weasley's age. A harrassed-looking wizard stood at the door, saying, "Calmly, please, ladies ... Don't push, there ... mind the books, now . .. . "

Harry, Ron, and I squeezed inside. A long line wound right to the back of the shop, where Gilderoy Lockhart was signing his books. We each grabbed a copy of The Standard Book of Spells,

Grade 2 and sneaked up the line to where the rest of the Weasleys were standing with my parents, who looked rather hassled.

"Oh, there you are, good," Mrs. Weasley said. She sounded breathless and kept patting her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute ..." Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd.

The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue that exactly matched his eyes; his pointed wizard's hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair.

A short, irritable-looking man was dancing around taking photographs with a large black camera that emitted puffs of purple smoke with every blinding flash.

I barely heard the photographer snap at Ron. My eyes were drawn to Gilderoy Lockhart. He was a very handsome man. I could feel my face warm and I quickly ran a hand through my hair.

Lockhart suddenly looked up and said, "It can't be Harry Potter?"

Harry stiffened in surprise as Lockhart grabbed his arm and pulled him next to him. Ron's eyes widened and I stared at Lockhart's blue eyes.

The photographer took their picture and Harry started to walk away but Lockhart threw his arm around Harry's shoulder to stop him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, waving for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!

"When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography — which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge —" The crowd applauded again and I joined in. How could I not, the man was very generous and good looking. "He had no idea,"

Lockhart continued, giving Harry a little shake that made his glasses slip to the end of his nose, "that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

The crowd cheered and clapped but I felt light headed with shock. Gilderoy Lockhart was going to teach us Defense? He was a genius! And the fact that his eyes sparkled like gem stones wasn't so bad either.

"Come on," Ron said, pulling on my sweater.

"What?" I asked, looking away from Lockhart.

"Harry needs interference." He said, looking over my shoulder. I turned and gasped. Malfoy and Harry were arguing loudly. Ron and I quickly pushed our way through the crowd.

We barely got over there and I could hear Malfoy insulting Harry and the Weasleys. Ron looked like he was ready to hit Malfoy when Mr. Weasley made his way over. But a moment later Mr. Malfoy ambled over. He sneered nastily at me and Ron wrapped an arm around my waist protectively while Harry entwined our hands.

Daddy put his hand on my shoulder. "Problem, Hermione?"

"No we're good Dad." I said, glaring at Mr. Malfoy. He glared at me then turned to Mr. Weasley. "And I thought you could sink no lower, Arthur."

Mr. Weasley's eyes flashed then threw himself at Mr. Malfoy. My mouth dropped open in shock as Mr. Weasley tried to throttle the man.

"Arthur no!" Mrs. Weasley screamed while the twins were encouraging him on. I screamed as Malfoy chucked a book at me. Harry pushed me behind him and the book hit him in the eye. Ron tried to cover my body with his but dad was too busy rushing forward to break up the fight but Hagrid beat him to it.

"Break it up, there, gents, break it up —" Hagrid easily pulled them apart while Mr. Malfoy practically threw Ginny's books at her. She caught them and glared at Mr. Malfoy.

"You shouldn't let him get to you," Mrs. Weasley was saying but dad was pulling towards the doorway where mum was standing nervously pulling on one of her curls.

"Come on, we're going home."

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I think about the story more. The more I think about it the more I create new twists and turns for the story and I end up updating more. Which in the end makes everyone happy.**


	29. Chapter 29

** AN: Oh my gosh I feel like I could write so many chapters! I think that week at the cabin was really needed. I hope to update a lot before the weekend (since I don't write on the weekends). Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.**

** _Hermione POV_**

Dad grumbled as he drove home and mum kept pulling on one of her curls, it's what she did when she was nervous. But besides dad's grumbles we didn't speak once in the car. I was too nervous to speak and apparently so was mum.

When we finally got home dad slowly turned to look at me, his glasses sliding down his nose. "Is every wizard at your school prejudiced against Muggle-borns?"  
"No dad." I said, my heart pounding loudly in my chest. "Only a few treat me badly but the teachers are very strict about things like that."

Dad's eyes narrowed but he nodded after a moment. "Okay." And then he jumped out of the car as if he had never said a thing.

"What in the world?" I muttered before slowly moving out of the car. Mum followed a moment later biting her lip so hard it was white.

The following week between myself and my parents was awkward. I didn't know what was wrong but something was off. Dad kept watching me surreptitiously out of the corner of his eye, almost like he was waiting for something. I ended up spending almost all of my time in my room reading Gilderoy Lockhart's books or writing letters to Harry and Ron. I told them about dad's strange behavior but they didn't know what to make of it any more than I did. But the books were absolutely amazing and were able to distract me from my awkward home life. Lockhart was so smart! He was cornered by a werewolf in a telephone booth and he never lost it once!

My last night at home mum made a huge pot of stew and homemade garlic bread. It tasted absolutely wonderful but the conversation was just as stilted as it had been for the last week. It was as if we were all carefully tip toeing around a sleeping dragon that would rear it's ugly head if you got too close.

I finished my dinner and sipped slowly at my mint tea. It was the only tea I would drink, everything else tasted like wood.

"Hermione?" I looked up from my tea and frowned at my dad. We hadn't had a conversation in days. He looked uncomfortable but hid it well.

"Yes?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Your mother will take you to platform nine and three quarters tomorrow. I have an early dental appointment tomorrow." Dad said, roughly clearing his throat.

"Alright," I said pushing away from the table. "I''ll write you while I'm away."

Dad nodded once before I made my way out of the kitchen. My lips trembled as I quickly made my way upstairs. My relationship with my parents was splintering before my eyes and I had no idea why or what to do.

Dad was gone before I woke up the next morning. Mum and I were silent as we left for Kings Cross Station. Neither of us spoke, we didn't even turn on the radio. My hands shook as mum and I carried my trunk through the station.

"Well I should get going dear, have a good term." Mum said, pressing a kiss to my cheek before rushing out of the station as if she was on fire. My mouth dropped open in shock and I grumbled before pulling my trunk across the station. It made a horrible screeching noise and I accidentally dropped it on my foot. I cursed darkly before pulling at it again. I almost dropped it on my toe for the second time when someone lifted the trunk up as easily as if it weighed five pounds instead of thirty.

"Oliver?" My eyebrows lifted in surprise. He looked... oh Merlin... he looked good. His muscles were even bigger than before and I either forgot how blue his eyes were or they were prettier than before.

"Hey Hermione." He said giving me and exaggerated wink. I bit my lip and tried not to smile and failed.

"How was your summer?" I asked, as Oliver and I sauntered through the platform. It was easier to do it when I was looking at Oliver.

"Oh it was fine, spent a lot of time with Angelina. We practiced Quidditch a lot." Of course. How could I forget, Oliver was dating Angelina. "What about you, what did you do?"  
"Went to France." I mumbled, looking around for my friends. The only one I spotted was Neville and it looked like his grandmother was yelling at him. I grimaced and quickly looked around for Harry and Ron but I didn't see them or any of the other Weasleys anywhere.

"That's pretty cool." Oliver said, sliding my trunk into an empty compartment on the train. "See you around, Hermione." And then he walked away as if nothing had happened.

I frowned before climbing into the compartment. Where were they? I frowned before pulling out one of the course books. I was reading over some of the potions we would be making this year when someone knocked on the door.

"Fred? George? Hey where's — What is it? What's wrong?" There was something about their identical pale faces that made me nervous. They looked almost terrified.

"Have you seen Ron and Harry?" They asked at the same time.

"No, why?" I asked my heart pounding in my chest.

"We can't find them anywhere!" My eyes bugged and I ran out into the corridor looking around for my best friends.

"No, you must be mistaken, they have to be here!" I said, running down the length of the train looking in each compartment. They followed me and I froze at the end of the train when it started to move and pull away from the station. They weren't here! Where the bloody hell were they?!

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I think about the story more. The more I think about it the more I create new twists and turns for the story and I end up updating more. Which in the end makes everyone happy.**


	30. Chapter 30

** AN: Hello everyone! I hope you have had a wonderful week. Rumor has it that Pottermore will be updated next Wednesday and I'm super excited. There's another rumor I should start... there is a very strong possibility that I will be making a new story soon so keep your eyes peeled. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.**

** _Hermione POV_**

I looked up and down the table my lip trembling. Where in the world were Harry and Ron? The craziest rumors were starting to spread up and down the Gryffindor table. Seamus Finnigan was certain that they had learned to Apparate, appear out of thin air, but that wasn't possible, they were too young. Draco Malfoy could be heard at the Slytherin table saying that Harry was too scared to come back. I had no clue why he said that. But it was Fred and George who came rushing over to Ginny and I to tell us that they drove a car here and were going to be expelled. That was the final straw, I wasn't going to listen to anymore rumors unless I heard it from the horses mouth... I just needed to find the horse.

I stormed up the steps letting the first years pass me. Where in the world were those two? I grumbled as I got close to the Gryffindor tower. The closer I got to the entrance the more I realized I heard voices... two voices... that I recognized.

"There you are! Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumors — someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying car." I panted, running up the steps.

"Well, we haven't been expelled," Harry assured her.

"You're not telling me you did fly here?" I said in shock. How could they do something so foolish and dangerous.

"Skip the lecture," Ron said impatiently, "and tell us the new password."

"It's `wattlebird,"' I said angrily, "but that's not the point —"

My words were cut short, however, as the portrait of the fat lady swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor House was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing on the lopsided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for them to arrive. Arms reached through the portrait hole to pull Harry and Ron inside, leaving me to scramble in after them.

"Brilliant!" Lee Jordan yelled. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talking about that one for years -"

"Good for you," said a fifth year I had never spoken to; someone was patting Harry on the back as though he'd just won a marathon; Fred and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd and said together, "Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?"

Ron was scarlet in the face, grinning embarrassedly, but I was very glad to see one person who didn't look happy at all. Percy was visible over the heads of some excited first years, and he seemed to be trying to get near enough to start telling them off. Harry nudged Ron in the ribs and nodded in Percy's direction. Ron got the point at once. I tried to run forward to say something but the sight of Oliver cheering made me stop in my tracks. How could he be okay with this? He was a smart man, he should've known that this was stupid... just like Harry and Ron should have known not to pull a stunt like that.

"Got to get upstairs — bit tired," Harry said, and the two of them started pushing their way toward the door on the other side of the room, which led to a spiral staircase and the dormitories.

"'Night," Harry called back to me but I barely heard him... I was too upset with my best friends.

_**The Next Morning**_

I ran down to the Great Hall without Harry or Ron. Few people were in the room when I get there, only a few students and Professor Snape were there. I ignored everyone and pulled out Voyages with Vampires and started to read. Harry sat next to me and Ron sat across from me both said hello but I ignored them, the book was too good to put down. Milk splattered me in the face and I pulled back with a gasp. Parvati Patil, who was sitting next to me, passed me a napkin so I could wipe my face.

"Errol!" Ron gasped, pulling an old gray owl out of the milk. He flopped to the table like a dead fish with a red letter clutched in its beak.

"Oh, no —" Ron gasped.

"It's all right, he's still alive," I said, prodding Errol gently with the tip of my finger. The owl seemed to be breathing but it looked like he had passed out.

"It's not that — it's that."

Ron was pointing at the red envelope. It looked quite ordinary to me, but Ron and Neville were both looking at it as though they expected it to explode.

"What's the matter?" Harry said.

"She's — she's sent me a Howler," Ron said faintly.

"You'd better open it, Ron," Neville said in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you don't My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and" — he gulped — "it was horrible."

I looked from their petrified faces to the red envelope. What in the world was going on? It was only a letter... there was nothing remotely terrifying about a letter.

"What's a Howler?" Harry asked. But Ron's whole attention was fixed on the letter, which had begun to smoke at the corners.

"Open it," Neville urged. "It'll all be over in a few minutes —"

Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's beak, and slit it open. Neville stuffed his fingers in his ears. A split second later, I knew why. I thought for a moment it had exploded; a roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.

"STEALING THE CAR! I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHERAND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE —"

Mrs. Weasleys yells, a hundred times louder than usual, made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see who had received the Howler, and Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen. Good Godric...

"— LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED —"

I looked up at Harry and was glad to see he looked ashamed. Well he should! They both should! Mrs. Weasley was right, they could have died!

"— ABSOLUTELYDISGUSTED — YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME."

A ringing silence fell. The red envelope, which had dropped from Ron's hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes. Harry and Ron sat with stunned looks on their faces. A few people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again.

I closed Voyages with Vampires and looked down at the top of Ron's head. "Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you —"

"Don't tell me I deserved it," snapped Ron. I humphed angrily and turned back to my book. Annoying jerk didn't even care that he had almost died! At least Harry realized he could've gotten hurt. I let my eyes flick up to where Harry was sitting next, he had dropped his head into his hands and looked extremely upset. My heart pounded in my chest and I slowly touched my fingers against his hand. Harry jumped and turned to look at me. A strange look crossed his face and he started to open his mouth but Ron belched loudly ruining the moment. Harry looked away quickly his face turning red, I bit my lip and turned back to my book wishing more than anything that I had the nerve to hold Harry's hand to comfort him.

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I think about the story more. The more I think about it the more I create new twists and turns for the story and I end up updating more. Which in the end makes everyone happy.**


	31. Chapter 31

** AN: Happy Tuesday my lovely readers. I hope you all had a lovely week. I hope to update more frequently in the following weeks but we'll see what happens. So today is October 6, 2015 and this is the first chapter today. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.**

_**Hermione POV**_

Herbology passed so slowly I almost hit my head against a wall to get out of it. All I wanted to do was get to Defense Against the Dark Arts and be taught by Gilderoy Lockhart. Professor Lockhart. The thought of him teaching me made me tingly all over.

In Herbology we learned about Mandrakes which were absolutely fascinating, usually. But I was sore, covered it earth and extremely sweaty. I felt absolutely disgusting and was very grateful for the shower I took before Defense Against the Dark Arts. I spritzed some perfume on my wrist and neck and quickly braided my hair back to keep it out of my eyes. When I made it down the steps I saw that Harry and Ron were waiting for me.

"What took you so long?" Ron groaned, stomping towards the portrait hole.

"I have longer hair than you so it takes me longer." I said, holding my books to my chest. Ron opened his mouth to respond but Harry gave him a long look.

"She's right, you know." I smiled at Harry and walked into the Transfiguration room. The class passed quickly but Ron spent the whole time grumbling about his wand and the fact that it was almost completely broken in two. None of his spells were working correctly. I didn't think anything would fix his wand but I didn't voice my opinion on the subject. He was too liable to bite off my head for it.

When we went down to lunch I showed Harry the beetles I had transfigured into buttons. Harry smiled at me while Ron grumbled and stomped into the Great Hall. "He's jealous."

"If you say so." I mumbled putting the buttons back in my pocket.

"Come on, lets get some food." Harry said, walking into the Great Hall. I sat next to him and piled food on my plate. Ron was taking a large bite of a sandwich when I looked up. I grimaced and looked the other way. I caught eyes with Ginny Weasley and she stared at me for a long moment before turning to a girl next to her. Okay then... I quickly ate a sandwich and pulled out my schedule. My mind wandered to this afternoons classes as I doodled on the edge of the schedule.

"What've we got this afternoon?" Ron asked, his mouth full of food. I grimaced and quickly looked away.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," I said at once.

"Why, "demanded Harry, grabbing my schedule out of my hand, "have you outlined all of Lockhart's lessons in little hearts?"

I snatched the schedule back, blushing furiously. Harry was glaring at me but I quickly packed up my books and made my way out of the Great Hall.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts room was open but Professor Lockhart wasn't in there. I sat at one of the desks and pulled out one of the many books for this class and started to read it. I was three chapters into it when the classroom started to fill up. Harry sat down next to me and Ron sat next to him. Harry was so red he looked like a tomato.

Professor Lockhart grabbed a copy of Travels with Trolls and held it up for everyone in the class to see.

"Me," he said, pointing at it and winking as well. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most- Charming-Smile Award - but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"

He waited for us to laugh and I gave him a small smile.

"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books — well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in — "

When he had handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes — start — now!"

I looked down at my paper and read:

1\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart 's favorite color?

2\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?

3\. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?

On and on it went, over three sides of paper, right down to:

54\. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?

I didn't really understand what this had anything to do with Defense but I knew all of these answers. It took me ten minutes to answer the questions and it took another twenty minutes for Professor Lockhart to ask for the tests.

Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class. I watched him silently as he read over each one.

"Tut, tut — hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in Year with the Yeti. And a few of you need to read Wanderings with Werewolves more carefully — I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples — though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey!"

He gave another roguish wink. Ron was now staring at Lockhart with an expression of disbelief on his face; Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were sitting in front, were shaking with silent laughter. But I was listening to Lockhart with rapt attention and gave a start when he mentioned my name.

". . . but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions — good girl! In fact" — he flipped her paper over — "full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?"

I slowly raised my hand. "Excellent!" Professor Lockhart said with a wink. "Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so — to business —"

He bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it. I watched Professor Lockhart silently, waiting for whatever dangerous creature he would reveal. After a moment he pulled off the cover. Cornish pixies... I frowned and stated at the little electric blue creatures that were rocketing around the cage. What in the world? I blinked in confusion then gasped when Professor Lockhart whipped open the cage.

It was pandemonium. The pixies shot in every direction like rockets. Two of them seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air. Several shot straight through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging rhino. They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the waste basket, grabbed bags and books and threw them out of the smashed window; within minutes, half the class was sheltering under desks and Neville was swinging from the iron chandelier in the ceiling.

"Come on now — round them up, round them up, they're only pixies," Professor Lockhart shouted.

He rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and bellowed, "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!"

It had absolutely no effect; one of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out of the window, too. Lockhart gulped and dived under his own desk, narrowly avoiding being squashed by Neville, who fell a second later as the chandelier gave way.

The bell rang and there was a mad rush toward the exit. In the relative calm that followed, Lockhart straightened up, caught sight of Harry, Ron, and I, who were almost at the door, and said, "Well, I'll ask you three to just nip the rest of them back into their cage." He swept past us and shut the door quickly behind him.

My eyes bugged in shock. Why would he — he was doing it to give us extra practice, that was all, extra practice.

"Can you believe him?" Ron roared as one of the remaining pixies bit him on the ear.

"He just wants to give us some hands-on experience," I said quickly, immobilizing two pixies at once with a clever Freezing Charm and stuffed them back into their cage.

"Hands on?" Harry said, who was trying to grab a pixie dancing out of reach with its tongue out. "Hermione, he didn't have a clue what he was doing —"

"Rubbish," I said squeakily but I wasn't so sure myself. "You've read his books — look at all those amazing things he's done —"

"He says he's done," Ron muttered.

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I think about the story more. The more I think about it the more I create new twists and turns for the story and I end up updating more. Which in the end makes everyone happy.**


	32. Chapter 32

** AN: Good morning my wonderful readers and happy Tuesday. I don't really know why I've been having such horrible writer's block but I hope that I will get past it soon. So today is October 27, 2015 and this is the first chapter today. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.**

**_ Hermione POV_**

Ron and I sleepily made our way down the steps the next morning. Harry was already gone for Quidditch practice and Ron and I needed to get down there in time to watch it.

"Did you have to wake me up so early?" Ron asked yawning widely and scratched absently at his hair. It stuck strait up in the back and it made me giggle.

"Do you want food before we go out there or not?" I asked raising my eyebrow.

"Definitely want the food." He said perking up. I couldn't help the little giggle that escaped. Ron gave me a dark look before snatching a plate piled with toast and started to much on it. I took one and absently bit into.

Ron and I crossed the grounds too tired to do anything besides eat toast. I bit back a yawn as I tied my hair into a bun. Gosh I wish I had grabbed some coffee.

Ron and I climbed onto the Quidditch stands and found a spot halfway up. It was a great spot where we would have the perfect view of Harry when he came out of the locker rooms. It was going on eight and they had had plenty of time to finish their practice. Ron placed the empty plate next to him and leaned his head against my shoulder. I slowly looked over and rolled my eyes, he was already asleep. Figures.

I pulled out my Potions book and looked over the potions we would be working on this week. Ron snorted loudly but I ignored him frowning flipping between pages. We weren't working on any potions this week. It looked like Professor Snape was going to go over some of the more difficult potions we would be doing this year. He didn't do that last year... why would he change his teaching methods from one year to the next?

"Hey Ron?" He mumbled and snorted before falling back to sleep. "Ron!"

"I'm up!" Ron yelped jumping up his eyes wide. "I'm up... why am I up?"

"Why would Professor Snape change his teaching methods?" I asked looking over the potion ingredients.

"Merlin's saggy left —" Ron started but I cut him off. "Ronald!"

"I'm sorry but why would you wake me up for that?" Ron asked blinking sleepily at me.

"Because I'm curious and —"

"Well the only way you could really figure that out would be to ask Snape and he's the bat of the dungeons so good luck with that." Ron said rolling his eyes.

"Don't call him that, he deserves respect." I said pushing a curl out of my eyes.

"He deserves a good —"

"Ron!"

"Okay, okay... I'll play nice." Ron grumbled rolling his eyes. He perked up and looked at the field. The players were coming out of the locker room but they were still dressed in their Quidditch robes.

"Aren't you finished yet?" Ron called incredulously.

"Haven't even started," Harry said loudly. His voice echoed around the stands. "Wood's been teaching us new moves."

He mounted his broomstick and kicked at the ground, soaring up into the air. He soared right around the stadium at full speed, racing the twins. Harry's black hair fluttered in the air and a large smile crossed his face.

Ron and I watched them as they flew around but Oliver flew over to Harry, Fred, and George and started talking.

"What are they doing?" I muttered watching them.

"Maybe going over strategies?" Ron said shrugging.

"Possibly but — what are they doing now?" I asked watching the team speed towards the ground.

"What is the Slytherin team doing here?" Ron asked jumping up and rushed down the steps, I followed a moment later.

"Oh, look," Flint said glaring at Ron and I. "A field invasion."

"What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?"

He was looking at Malfoy, taking in his Slytherin Quidditch robes.

"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," Malfoy said, smiling smugly.

"Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team." Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of us. They were clearly expensive and looked good but how in the world could anyone afford seven of them?

"Good, aren't they?" Malfoy said smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."

The Slytherin team howled with laughter. Fred and George both flushed and a deep anger flashed through me, they didn't deserve to be treated like this.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," I said sharply. "They got in on pure talent."

The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.

I flinched back as if I had been slapped. Fred and George immediately leapt forward but Flint jumped in front of Malfoy to block the hit. Alicia shrieked "How dare you?" while Katie and Angelina held her back.

Ron pulled out his wand but Harry grabbed his arm to stop him. Flint blew out a breath and took a step away when he realized no one would hurt Malfoy.

"You're not fit to speak to her!" Harry roared and hit Malfoy squarely in the jaw. My mouth dropped open in shock as Malfoy went down like a ton of bricks. Harry shook his hand wincing.

"Hey!" Flint yelled but Oliver cut him off. "Go or we'll tell Dumbledore what he said. I think suspension is the usual punishment."

"Come on guys," Flint said helping Malfoy away. I was shocked to see that he had a bloody nose.

I took a step towards Harry and lifted his hand. There wasn't a mark on him. I looked up slowly and gave him a wobbly smile before pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you Harry."

He looked dazed for a moment then smiled. "Any time Hermione."

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I think about the story more. The more I think about it the more I create new twists and turns for the story and I end up updating more. Which in the end makes everyone happy.**


	33. Chapter 33

**AN: Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing weekend. I am very sorry for not updating this story sooner my lovely readers but with the holidays it was rather difficult. I hope to update much more after this week. I have lots and lots of filing to work on and will take me at least this whole week. So today is January 4, 2016 and this is the first chapter today. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.**

_**Harry POV**_

I told Hermione repeatedly that I was fine but she all but dragged me to the hospital wing to have Madam Pomfrey check me over. She tutted as she looked my hand over and hummed angrily. Ron and Hermione exchanged a nervous glance but a moment later she said that I was fine. We were about to leave when she reminded us that any form of physical violence would be served with detention and that we would "do well to remember that."

"Bloody mental that woman," Ron muttered, shaking his head.

"Ronald!" Hermione hissed, glancing warily at the portraits. A large painting of a group of handmaidens were watching us.

"Come off it Hermione, if she honestly thinks no one will ever get into a fist fight she has another thing coming to her." Ron said giving her a look.

Hermione opened her mouth to respond but I quickly cut her off, "He has a point, Hermione."

She humphed but didn't respond. We silently made our way to the Great Hall for lunch and stepped through the large doorway. I was absolutely starving. Of their own accord my eyes slid to the Slytherin table and a smug smile crossed my face. Malfoy's nose was a dark purple color. It would take while to heal unless he went to Madam Pomfrey, and she would give him detention. It was absolutely perfect.

"There you are, Potter — Weasley." Professor McGonagall was walking toward us, looking stern. Ron and I exchanged a nervous look. "You will both do your detentions this evening."

"What're we doing, Professor?" Ron asked, swallowing thickly.

"You will be polishing the silver in the trophy room with Mr. Filch," Professor McGonagall said. "And no magic, Weasley — elbow grease."

Ron gulped. Argus Filch, the caretaker, was loathed by every student in the school. And I was pretty sure he hated them all in return.

"And you, Potter, will be helping Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail," Professor McGonagall said. I felt as if I had been punched in the stomach... you have got to be bloody kidding me.

"Oh n- Professor, can't I go and do the trophy room, too?" I asked desperately.

"Certainly not," Professor McGonagall said, raising her eyebrows. I swallowed loudly. "Professor Lockhart requested you particularly. Eight o'clock sharp, both of you."

Ron and I slouched into the Great Hall in states of deepest gloom, Hermione behind us, wearing a well-you-did-break-school-rules sort of expression. I didn't enjoy his shepherd's pie as much as I had thought I would. Ron thought he had the worst end of the stick but mine was so horrible I could barely swallow my food.

"Filch'll have me there all night," said Ron heavily. "No magic! There must be about a hundred cups in that room. I'm no good at Muggle cleaning."

"I'd swap anytime," I said hollowly. "I've had loads of practice with the Dursleys. Answering Lockhart's fan mail... he'll be a nightmare..."

Hermione stiffened and gave me a dark look before starting in on her shepherd's pie. I gave her a "what?" look but she only snatched up her book bag and stomped away.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked around a mouthful of food. But Hermione didn't turn, in fact she didn't even show that she had heard Ron.

_**Hermione POV**_

I sat on the large sofa in front of the fireplace. The common room was almost empty it was so late. I had told Harry and Ron that I would stay up until they got back. Both had refused but I ignored them. I didn't know why but I wanted to be up for when Harry came back, the thought made me flush.

"Hermione?" I jumped and looked up from the burning log I had been staring at.

"Harry! How did — what's wrong?" I asked immediately. Harry's face was extremely pale and his scar stuck out more than usual. His eyes were wide and his hands were fisted at his side. He looked... scared.

"I — is Ron back yet?" Harry asked, his voice shaking.

"Not yet, why?" I asked as Harry slowly sat down next to me.

"Something... something strange happened during detention with Lockhart." Harry said dropping his head into his hands.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked softly, tentatively placing my hand on his arm.

"N-no. I want to wait till Ron gets here." Harry said, looking up slowly. In the fire light the circles under his eyes looked worse than usual.

"Harry?" I asked softly, my voice shaking. He turned to look at me, his eyes slightly haunted. "Please tell me."

"I think I'm going mad." Harry whispered hoarsely. I blinked at him owlishly. At anything he could have said I never thought it would be this.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, my heart pounding.

"Not now... not until Ron gets here." Harry said rubbing his eyes. He looked tired and his green eyes started to flutter.

"Harry why don't you go to sleep. I'll wake you up when Ron gets here." I said softly.

"Okay. I'll rest my eyes but only for..." Harry was already snoring. Poor bloke, he needed to sleep more. Oliver was working him way too hard for Quidditch.

I promised myself for Harry's sake that I would stay up but my body seemed to have other plans. The common room was empty now and so quiet and peaceful. My eyes would drift shut but almost immediately I would jolt awake and shake the couch. It was a wonder that Harry hadn't woken up from all my movement. The last time my head fell against the back of the sofa I was too tired to try and wake myself up.

_**Ron POV**_

I walked through the portrait hole massaging my fingers. They hurt horribly from all the cleaning I had had to do. Filch had made me scrub each trophy five times before letting me move to the next one. And Filch made me scrub a Special Award for Services to the School ten times before letting me leave. It had been my last one and he wanted to keep me there a little bit longer just because he could. What a bloody tosspot.

I stepped into the common room and looked up from my hands. A small smile spread across my face. Harry and Hermione were both asleep on the couch. Harry was kind of leaning against the armrest and snoring. Hermione was curled up next to him and was using Harry's leg as a pillow. I chuckled softly and quietly made my way through the common room so as not to wake them. Unfortunately, I forgot that the bottom step to the boys dormitory always squeaked. I stiffened before quickly darting up the steps, not wanting to deal with the fall out of my best friends snuggling on the sofa or what it could possibly mean for our little trio.

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I think about the story more. The more I think about it the more I create new twists and turns for the story and I end up updating more. Which in the end makes everyone happy.**


	34. Chapter 34

** AN: Good morning everyone and happy Wednesday. So sorry everyone for not updating sooner but life has been crazy like it so often is. I hope to update all of my stories more since I have a laptop again and the holidays have passed. ****I wanted to let you all know that I have started a new story and I hope everyone will take a peek at it. It is called **_**My Angel of Music is Who? **_**If you like Broadway and Severus and possible love triangles you will love that story. So today is February 24, 2016 and this is the first chapter today. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.**

**_Hermione POV_**

September quickly changed to October in the blink of an eye but things were strange. Harry had been acting weird ever since we had fallen asleep on the couch together when he had heard the mysterious voice. The voice that had whispered about ripping and killing, a voice only he could hear. It was nerve wracking but then there was Harry himself, he had been avoiding me like the plague.

When I had woken up it had been Ginny Weasley shaking my shoulder saying breakfast would be over in ten minutes. My only conclusion was that Harry had woken up in the night and went to bed. But I still had no idea why Harry was avoiding me, because he was. The last time I had seen him he had flushed red and talked about the weather.

Ron and I were working on homework when Harry came storming into the common room his clothes dripping wet.

"I have something to tell you two but I'm going to change first," Harry said darting up the boys' staircase.

I blinked owlishly and turned back to my Charms essay. Ron was grumbling over his Potions essay and how difficult it was. He kept asking to look over my paper but I had declined and told him to do his own work without copying off of mine, after all how would he learn anything if he didn't do it on his own?

"Okay, sorry about that," Harry said sitting ungracefully on the couch. His hair was wet from the rain and a few droplets ran down his cheeks. My face warmed and I turned back to my paper. "So Nick just invited the three of us to his deathday party and I agreed, it was impossible to say no."

"A deathday party?" I said surprised. "I bet there aren't many living people who can say they've been to one of those — it'll be fascinating!"

"Why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died?" said Ron, who was halfway through his Potions homework and rather grumpy. "Sounds dead depressing to me. . . ."

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" I asked dryly raising an eyebrow. Harry was snickering and I gave him a dark look.

"Ummm no," Ron said giving me a wide eyed look.

"Yes it is and it's —" but my response was cut off. A brilliant orange fire-dwelling salamander that Fred and George had liberated from Care of Magical Creatures whirled around the room. The salamander emitted vivid sparks and loud bangs and flew through the air.

My mouth dropped open in shock while everyone else roared with laughter. I was about to tell them off for endangering an animal when Percy jumped up and started yelling furiously at the twins.

A soft smile crossed my face as I watched Percy as he carefully stretched out his hand to pull the salamander out of the fireplace where the lizard had taken to hiding. He cursed when he got burned by a log but pulled the salamander out. The small animal crawled up Percy's arm and curled up on his shoulder.

I turned away from Percy and saw that Harry was staring at me, a frown on his face. My cheeks flushed with warmth and I quickly pulled my books into my arms. "I'm going to head to bed, night."

The weeks leading up to Halloween passed without incident. But the day itself was not what I had expected at all. One thing after another went wrong.

First was Ron griping and complaining about the fact that he was going to miss the Halloween feast to go to Sir Nick's deathday party. In fact Ron spent the whole day complaining about everything.

Second was the fact that they didn't serve real food. Everything was old, a few weeks old by the look of it. And the smell was…indescribable. I had to cover my mouth and nose just to look at the putrid food.

Third was Moaning Myrtle. Peeves, the poltergeist, had called her over and we made her cry. It was completely unintentional but she had cried all the same.

And lastly was Harry hearing the voice again. The voice that wanted to kill and that smelled blood. That was when we had found the writing on the wall. Someone had written on the wall in blood.

_The chamber of secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware._

"What's that thing — hanging underneath?" Ron said, a slight quiver in his voice. My eyes shifted to one of the sconces on the wall. Hanging there, looking as stiff as a stuffed animal, was Mrs. Norris. A horrified gasp escaped my lips and I jumped back.

Water splashed around me and I frowned down at the floor. Why was there water all over the floor? It took me a moment to remember we were in the corridor by Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

For a few seconds, we didn't move. Then Ron said, "Let's get out of here."

"Shouldn't we try and help —" Harry began awkwardly.

"Trust me," Ron said. "We don't want to be found here."

We were about to make our escape to the Gryffindor common room but it was too late. There was a loud rumble and the sound of feet coming from every direction. There was no way to get out of here before they got here.

A moment later students entered the corridor. The chatter and any sound of movement stopped when they took in the writing on the wall, a frozen Mrs. Norris and the three of us standing in the middle.

But one student pushed forward through the crowd. It was Draco Malfoy and he had a look of grim satisfaction on his flushed face. He took in the writing and Mrs. Norris before his grey eyes flicked to me. "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I think about the story more. The more I think about it the more I create new twists and turns for the story and I end up updating more. Which in the end makes everyone happy. **


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: Good evening everyone and happy Wednesday. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and have an even better week. Sorry for not updating sooner everyone but I had a pretty bad cold for a while there and I had some issues with my iPod. Now that everything is somewhat normal, or as normal as my life ever is, I hope to update all of my stories more. So today is April 20, 2016 and this is the first chapter today. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.**

**Hermione POV**

I shook as Professor Lockhart led Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Filch, Harry, Ron and I into his office. Professor Lockhart quickly ran around the room lighting candles while Professor Dumbledore bent over Mrs. Norris.

Professor Snape had his arms crossed and was glaring at Professor Lockhart and Harry in turn. It was hard to say who he disliked more; Professor Lockhart for getting the job he so coveted or Harry for being, well, Harry. Professor McGonagall watched Professor Dumbledore as he worked on the half-kneazle cat and twitched every time Professor Lockhart came up with a new reason of why the "poor beast" was dead. But the hardest person to watch was Filch; he was hunched over his hands gripped tightly to the back of the chair, his shoulders shaking with sobs.

A single tear escaped my eye but I ignored it. Watching Filch mourn his pet was heartbreaking. There was a soft touch against my hand and I looked down and watched as Harry slowly entwined our hands. I looked up slowly and smiled tentatively at my best friend. He smiled back. Ron, who was on the other side of Harry, rolled his eyes before turning back to watch Professor Dumbledore poke and prod the half-Kneazke.

"It was definitely a curse that killed her — probably the Transmogrifian Torture — I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very counter curse that would have saved her..." Professor Lockhart said pacing back and forth. Filch looked up for a moment, his eyes bloodshot and the tip of his nose dripping. He glared at Professor Lockhart for one long moment before dropping his head again. Professor Snape looked ready to curse or poison my favorite professor.

"...I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadogou," Lockhart said oblivious to Professor Snape's death glare. "A series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once..."

The photographs of Lockhart on the walls were all nodding in agreement as he talked. One was wearing a hairnet and looked ridiculous. Was that what he did every night to make his hair look so perfect? If so...

"She's not dead, Argus," Professor Dumbledore said pulling me out of my thoughts.

Professor Lockhart stopped talking and his eyes bugged slightly.

"Not dead?" Filch choked, slowly looking up, the smallest amount of hope in his eyes. "But why's she all — all stiff and frozen?"

"She has been Petrified," Professor Dumbledore said.

"Ah! I thought so!" Lockhart said, his hair bouncing. Everyone in the room glared at him, including me, before turning back to Professor Dumbledore who continued as if Professor Lockhart hadn't spoken. "But how, I cannot say..."

"Ask him!" Filch shrieked, turning his blotched and tearstained face to Harry. Harry blinked owlishly while Ron turned to Harry a bemused look on his face.

"No second year could have done this," Professor Dumbledore said firmly his eyes becoming hard. "It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced -"

"He did it, he did it!" Filch spat, his tear stained face purpling. "You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found — in my office — he knows I'm a — I'm a —" Filch's face worked horribly and I was afraid he would attack Harry. "He knows I'm a Squib!"

Harry looked just as confused as I felt when I heard the strange word but I could see Ron smirk before dropping his head to hide it.

"I never touched Mrs. Norris!" Harry said loudly, looking extremely uncomfortable. "And I don't even know what a Squib is."

"Rubbish!" Filch snarled looking slightly mad. "He saw my Kwikspell letter!"

"If I might speak, Headmaster," Professor Snape said silkily from the shadows.

"Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he doubted it. I flinched back at the look on his face. "But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?"

Harry, Ron and I all launched into an explanation about the deathday party. "…there were hundreds of ghosts, they'll tell you we were there —"

"But why not join the feast afterward?" Professor Snape asked, his black eyes glittering in the candlelight. "Why go up to that corridor?"

Ron and I looked at Harry owlishly. It was his choice if he wanted to talk about the disembodied voice.

"Because — because —" Harry said his face paling. "Because we were tired and wanted to go to bed."

"Without any supper?" Professor Snape asked, a triumphant smile flickering across his gaunt face. "I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their parties."

"We weren't hungry," Ron said loudly as his stomach gave a huge rumble.

Snape's nasty smile widened.

"I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," he said. "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest."

"Really, Severus," Professor McGonagall said sharply, "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong."

Professor Dumbledore was giving Harry a searching look. Harry shifted uncomfortably until he looked away.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," Professor Dumbledore said firmly.

Professor Snape looked furious. So did Filch.

"My cat has been Petrified!" he shrieked, his eyes popping. "I want to see some punishment!"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus," Professor Dumbledore said patiently.

"Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris."

"I'll make it," Lockhart butted in. I had forgotten he was in the room he was so quiet. My eyes flicked over to him and frowned...he wasn't the man I had thought he was... "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep —"

"Excuse me," Professor Snape said icily and a shiver raced down my spine at the dark look in his obsidian eyes. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school."

There was an extremely awkward pause where Professor Snape and Lockhart stared at each other, Professor Snape in fury and Lockhart in confusion.

"You may go," Professor Dumbledore said to Harry, Ron, and I. I stood frozen for a moment then Harry squeezed my hand before pulling me out of the room. The three of us walked slowly down the hall until we turned the corner, and then we were running, running as if our lives depended on it. All I wanted to do was get away from that office and the writing on the wall. I hadn't even realized it but Harry and I were still holding hands. I started to untwine our fingers but Harry redoubled his grip not letting my hand go. My eyes flicked to his but he wasn't paying attention, his eyes were darker than usual and his face was extremely pale, his lightning scar in sharp relief on his forehead. He was terrified.

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I think about the story more. The more I think about it the more I create new twists and turns for the story and I end up updating more. Which in the end makes everyone happy.**


	36. Chapter 36

** AN: Good morning everyone and happy Tuesday. I am very sorry for not updating sooner but life gets in the way. Same with writer's block. It comes at the worst times. I hope to update more in the future, all of my stories in fact. But now that it's summer I will be traveling to my family's cabin more which means no internet. On a little side note I wanted to let you all know that I started a new story for the Hunger Games and it's the series from Peeta's perspective. So today is July 12, 2016 and this is the first chapter today. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.**

_** Hermione POV**_

In the following days after Harry heard the disembodied voice the three of us never brought it up while the rest of the school did nothing but talk about Mrs. Norris. Harry kept looking over his shoulder as if waiting for something to jump out at him. Ron kept looking at Harry covertly, as if afraid he would spontaneously combust.

But I spent all of my time reading. I was trying to find anything about the Chamber of Secrets but I couldn't. It took me a week to realize that the only book to look in for any information would be _Hogwarts: A History_ but every book was checked out.

I sat down at the desk that Harry and Ron were occupying with an angry huff.

"All the copies of _Hogwarts: A History_ have been taken out. And there's a two-week waiting list. I wish I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books." I sneered the man's name, I no longer thought Lockhart walked on water.

"Why do you want it?" Harry asked twirling his quill absently in his hand.

"The same reason everyone else wants it," I said with a sigh, "to read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets."

"What's that?" Harry asked quickly his eyes widening with excitement.

"That's just it. I can't remember," I said, biting my lip. "And I can't find the story anywhere else —"

"Hermione, let me read your composition on the History of Magic essay," said Ron desperately, checking his watch.

"No, I won't," I growled severely. "You've had ten days to finish it —"

"I only need another two inches, come on —" The bell rang cutting Ron off.

"Come on," Harry said holding out his hand for me. I blinked owlishly and slowly placed my hand in his. He smiled and pulled me towards the doors leading out of the library. Ron followed behind grumbling under his breath about The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards.

Harry, Ron and I sat at the back of the classroom by an open window where a cool fall breeze was coming through. It felt lovely and I leaned forward staring at Professor Binns but I wasn't writing notes or even listening to him. I was too busy thinking about how old Professor Binns was. Could he know about the Chamber of Secrets.

I chewed on my lip for a moment before raising my hand. Professor Binns immediately stopped talking and his eyes widened in shock.

"Miss — er —?"

"Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets," I said in a clear voice.

Dean Thomas, who had been sitting with his mouth hanging open, gazing out of the window, jerked out of his trance; Lavender Brown's head came up off her arms and Neville Longbottom's elbow slipped off his desk.

Professor Binns blinked.

"My subject is History of Magic," he said in his dry, wheezy voice. "I deal with facts, Miss Granger, not myths and legends." He cleared his throat with a small noise like chalk scraping. I glared at him but he continued, "In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers –"

He stuttered to a halt when he saw my hand was waving in the air again.

"Miss Grant?"

"Please, sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?" I asked desperately. All I wanted to know was what was in the Chamber.

Professor Binns was looking at me in amazement.

"Well," Professor Binns said slowly, "yes, one could argue that, I suppose." He peered at me as though he had never seen a student properly before and maybe he never had. "However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous tale —"

But the whole class was now hanging on Professor Binns's every word. He looked dimly at everyone, every face turned to his. He seemed thrown off by all the interest.

"Oh, very well," he said slowly. "Let me see ... the Chamber of Secrets ...

"You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago — the precise date is uncertain — by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution."

He paused, gazed blearily around the room, and continued, surprised by the obvious interest from the class.

"For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school."

Professor Binns paused again, pursing his lips.

"Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he said. "But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing.

"Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."

There was silence as he finished telling the story, but it wasn't the usual, sleepy silence that filled Professor Binns's classes. There was unease in the air as everyone continued to watch him. More than anything I wanted him to keep going. Professor Binns looked faintly annoyed.

"The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course," he continued quickly. "Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible."

I threw my hand back in the air. "Sir — what exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the Chamber?"

"That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control," Professor Binns said in his dry, reedy voice.

I exchanged a nervous look with Harry who looked terrified. Ron was staring at Professor Binns, his mouth open wide in shock.

"I tell you, the thing does not exist," Professor Binns said hastily, shuffling his notes. "There is no Chamber and no monster."

"But, sir," Seamus Finnigan said, "if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?"

"Nonsense, O'Flaherty," Professor Binns said in an aggravated tone. "If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven't found the thing —"

"But, Professor," Parvati Patil piped up, "you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it —"

"Just because a wizard doesn't use Dark Magic doesn't mean he can't, Miss Pennyfeather," Professor Binns snapped losing his temper. "I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore —"

"But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't —" began Dean Thomas, but Professor Binns had had enough.

"That will do," he said sharply. "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable, verifiable fact!"

And then he went back to his lesson. But I was too busy to listen. I was ruminating over everything Professor Binns had told us. And it was easy to tell I wasn't the only one. Ron was shaking and Harry was frowning down at the table in front of him as if he didn't know what to do with the information anymore than I did.

** AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews help me create a story that everyone loves. And the only way to make sure I know you all like it is with reviews telling me what you think, what you love and hate about it. Also any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated and I would give you credit if I used your idea in the Author's Note. Seriously guys every little bit helps.**


	37. Chapter 37

** AN: Good afternoon everyone and happy Wednesday. I am very sorry for not updating sooner but life gets in the way. Same with writer's block. It comes at the worst times. I hope to update more in the future, all of my stories in fact. Since summer is almost over I should be updating all of my stories more. Now on a little side note I wanted to let you all know that I have started a new story, it's the Hunger Games from Peeta's perspective so please check it out when you can. So today is October 5, 2016 and this is the first chapter today. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.**

_** Hermione POV**_

Harry, Ron and I made our way from History of Magic to drop off our bags in our dormitories before dinner. Ron was saying how he always knew Salazar Slytherin was a dodgy sort of fellow but I had nothing to say. Okay, that wasn't quite true but I was too busy trying to think through everything. It looked like Harry wasn't listening very closely to Ron either. He was staring at the ground, his eyebrows furrowed together. I started to tentatively reach for his hand but a high squeaky voice made me jump and pull away.

"Hiya, Harry!"

"Hullo, Colin," Harry said unenthusiastically.

"Harry - Harry - a boy in my class has been saying you're -" But Colin Creevy was so small he couldn't fight against the tide of people bearing him toward the Great Hall; and then he squeaked, "See you, Harry!" and he was gone.

"What's a boy in his class saying about you?" I asked curiously.

"That I'm Slytherin's heir, I expect," Harry said, his whole body curling forward. I winced and gave him what I hope was a sympathetic face. He only blinked owlishly before looking away.

"People here'll believe anything," Ron said in disgust. All I could do was nod in agreement, it was true.

The crowd thinned and we were able to climb the next staircase without difficulty. Everyone was either eating or dropping their book bags off.

"D'you really think there's a Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked turning to look at me.

"I don't know," I said, frowning trying to control my jumbled thoughts. "Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be - well -" I paused finally voicing my true thoughts. "human."

As I spoke, we turned a corner and found ourselves at the end of the corridor where the attack had happened. I stopped and looked around my heart pounding. The scene was just as it had been that night, except that there was no stiff cat hanging from the torch bracket, and an empty chair stood against the wall bearing the message "The Chamber of Secrets has been Opened."

"That's where Filch has been keeping guard," Ron muttered.

We looked at each other. The corridor was deserted.

"Can't hurt to have a poke around," Harry said , dropping his bag and getting to his hands and knees so that he could crawl along, searching for clues. Ron and I exchanged a look before dropping to our knees. I had never been so grateful that the school wardrobe included thick black tights for under our skirts.

"Scorch marks!" Harry said with a gasp. "Here - and here -"

But I was distracted by something else. Spiders. They were crawling as fast as they could out the window in a single file line on a single strand of web. I called the boys over to take a look at them and Ron all but passed out the moment he saw them. Apparently he had a terrible fear of spiders. Of all the things he could be afraid I never thought it would be spiders. Spiders didn't even make my list of fears and one quick look at Harry showed that he wasn't scared of the spiders any more than I was. It took everything in me not to laugh outright.

"Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from? Someone's mopped it up." Harry said looking at the floor again. I frowned trying to remember that night in my mind as best I could but the only thing that came to me was the way Draco Malfoy had leered at me when he yelled, "You'll be next Mudbloods!"

"It was about here," Ron said, walking a few paces past Filch's chair and pointing. I shook my head, trying to pay attention to what the boys were saying. "Level with this door."

He reached for the brass doorknob but suddenly withdrew his hand as though he'd been burned. I frowned then snickered when I realized why he had stopped.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked pushing himself up off the floor. He reached down, entwined our hands, and pulled me up faster than I expected. I crashed into his chest and felt a warm flush spread across my face as his arm kept me from falling. Harry looked down at me, a curious expression on his face I couldn't possibly begin to describe. It made my stomach lurch as if I was on a roller coaster.

"Can't go in there," Ron said gruffly bring me back to the present. I quickly pulled out of Harry's arms and ran my hands over my skirt nervously. "That's a girl's toilet."

"Oh, Ron, there won't be anyone in there," I said as Ron turned around to look at me bemusedly. "That's Moaning Myrtle's place. Come on, let's have a look."

And ignoring the large OUT of ORDER sign, I opened the door.

** AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews help me create a story that everyone loves. And the only way to make sure I know you all like it is with reviews telling me what you think, what you love and hate about it. Also any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated and I would give you credit if I used your idea in the Author's Note. Seriously guys every little bit helps.**


	38. Chapter 38

**AN: Good morning ****everyone and happy Wednesday.** **I am very sorry for not updating sooner but life gets in the way. Same with writer's block. It comes at the worst times. I hope to update more in the future, all of my stories in fact.** **Now on a side note please don't forget that I started a new story called **_**My Mockingjay**_**, it's **_**The Hunger Games**_ **from Peeta's perspective so please go check it out. ****So today is January 18, 2017 and this is the first chapter today. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.**

_**Hermione POV**_

Things were quickly going from bad to worse. Firstly, I introduced Harry and Ron to Moaning Myrtle and she drenched the three of us in toilet water. Unfortunately my mouth had been open and I swallowed a mouthful. It tasted worse than I would have imagined and started gagging.

Secondly, Percy caught Harry, Ron and I coming out of the girls' bathroom. He had yelled at Ron saying Ginny thought we were going to be expelled. My stomach dropped horribly when he said that, even though we weren't close I didn't want Ginny to be unduly concerned about her brother.

That night we sat as far from Percy as possible since Ron kept turning red every time he saw his brother. Even as he tried to work on his Charms Essay he kept huffing and crossing things out. Eventually he snapped his book shut and tossed it on the floor. I followed suit a moment later, not caring that I had just thrown a book for once. We had more important things to discuss.

"Who can it be, though?" I asked softly my hands trembling. Harry pulled my hand into his under the table. I gave him a weak smile and turned to Ron. "Who'd want to frighten all the Squibs and Muggle-borns out of Hogwarts?"

"Let's think," Ron said dramatically tapping his finger against his chin. "Who do we know who thinks Muggle-borns are scum?"

"If you're talking about Malfoy -" I started rolling my eyes.

"Of course I am!" Ron snapped. "You heard him - 'You'll be next, Mudbloods!' - come on, you've only got to look at his foul rat face to know it's him -"

"Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?" I said doubtfully. He may have been a lot of things but I was sure he wasn't the heir of Slytherin.

"Look at his family," Harry said pulling has hand away from mine and I frowned. "The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin; he's always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin's descendants. His father's definitely evil enough."

"They could've had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for centuries!" Ron said all but bouncing up and down in his excitement. "Handing it down, father to son."

"Well," I said cautiously looking from Harry to Ron, "I suppose it's possible -"

"But how do we prove it?" Harry asked darkly slamming his fist against the table. A first year girl jumped in surprise and scurried away.

"There might be a way," I said dropping my voice further with a quick glance across the room at Percy. If Percy ever found out my idea we would be expelled for sure. "Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We'd be breaking about fifty school rules, I expect -"

"If, in a month or so, you feel like explaining, you will let us know, won't you?" Ron snapped grouchily.

"All right," I stiffened and glared at him. Harry looked down at the table uncomfortably. "What we'd need to do is to get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realizing it's us."

"But that's impossible," Harry said as Ron laughed snidely.

"No, it's not," I said firmly. "All we'd need would be some Polyjuice Potion."

"What's that?" Ron and Harry said together.

"Snape mentioned it in class a few weeks ago -"

"D'you think we've got nothing better to do in Potions than listen to Snape?" Ron muttered. I gave him a dark look.

"It transforms you into somebody else. Think about it! We could change into three of the Slytherins. No one would know it was us. Malfoy would probably tell us anything. He's probably boasting about it in the Slytherin common room right now, if only we could hear him."

"This Polyjuice stuff sounds a bit dodgy to me," Ron said, frowning.

"What if we were stuck looking like three of the Slytherins forever?" Harry asked paling.

"It wears off after a while," I said waving my hand. "But getting hold of the recipe will be very difficult. Snape said it was in a book called Moste Potente Potions and it's bound to be in the Restricted Section of the library."

There was only one way to get out a book from the Restricted Section: You needed a signed note of permission from a teacher. It would be so hard to talk a teacher into agreeing.

"Hard to see why we'd want the book, really," Ron said, "if we weren't going to try and make one of the potions."

"I think," I said softly frowning in thought, "that if we made it sound as though we were just interested in the theory, we might stand a chance..."

"Oh, come on, no teacher's going to fall for that," Ron said snorting loudly.

"They'd have to be really thick..." Harry said then froze. A curious smile crossed his face and then he snorted a laugh. "I know exactly who to ask!"

"Who?" I asked my stomach swirling. Unfortunately, I had a strong feeling I knew who he would say. The one teacher I was so desperately hoping for to succeed and hadn't done anything once to make me believe he was who he said he was.

"Lockhart!"

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews help me create a story that everyone loves. And the only way to make sure I know you all like it is with reviews telling me what you think, what you love and hate about it. Also any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated and I would give you credit if I used your idea in the Author's Note. Seriously guys every little bit helps.**


	39. Chapter 39

**AN: Good afternoon ****everyone and happy Wednesday.** **I am very sorry for not updating sooner but life gets in the way. Same with writer's block. It comes at the worst times. I hope to update more in the future, all of my stories in fact.** **Now on a side note please don't forget that I started a new story called **_**My Mockingjay**_**, it's **_**The Hunger Games**_ **from Peeta's perspective so please go check it out. ****So today is January 18, 2017 and this is the second chapter today. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.**

_**Hermione POV**_

It was very easy for me to get Professor Lockhart to sign my note for Moste Potente Potions. In fact he didn't even check which book I wanted to check out. I frowned absently but didn't say anything as Harry, Ron and I made our way to the library.

Madame Pince, the rather terrifying librarian, stared at the signature to check if it was forged. I almost asked if I could have it back after she slipped it into her drawer but decided against it. She stomped away and came back a few minutes later carrying a thick moldy tome. I went to take the book from her but Madame Pince glared at me. After a long moment she passed me the book. I grimaced but carefully slid the book into my bag.

Harry, Ron and I quickly made our way out of the library and to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Myrtle was in a stall crying loudly but we ignored her.

It took me a few minutes to find the potion and when I did my stomach dropped. Some of the things on this list would not be easy to come by, how in the world were we going to find shredded skin of a boomslang. We would have to steal from Snape and I told the boys as much. They were both horrified but it was the only option we had.

"How long will it take to make, anyway?" Harry asked after a moment.

"Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty-one days ... I'd say it'd be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients."

"A month?" Ron asked his eyes bugging. "Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggleborns in the school by then!" My eyes narrowed dangerously, and he added swiftly, "But it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead, I say."

We left the bathroom shortly after that. It was hard to work on my homework that night and I eventually pulled out some light Muggle reading instead. Shortly after finishing the third chapter I bid Ron and Harry good night.

The next morning I dressed quickly and made my way downstairs for breakfast. Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team had already left to change for the game. I grabbed a piece of bacon, shoved it in my mouth, and made my way down to the Quidditch pitch with Ron by my side. Ron and I got great seats right in the middle, the perfect place to see everything.

"Where is everyone?" I asked checking my watch. Was the time wrong? No, it was almost game time and my housemates from my year weren't here yet.

"Probably still eating." Ron said pulling an apple out of his pocket and took a huge bite. I pulled out my book and read a few lines but it didn't take long for the stands to get so packed that I was completely squished.

I had just shoved my book back in my pocket when the Slytherin and Gryffindor teams made their way onto the field. Ron shouted and cheered while I whistled loudly. Harry smiled and waved at me.

Oliver and Marcus Flint shook hands and glared darkly at each other. Madame Hooch blew her whistle and the fourteen players flew into the air.

Harry had barely flown above the pitch when a bludger almost knocked him off. I gasped sharply at the narrow miss.

"That was way too close!" I yelled to Ron who was staring wide eyed at our best friend. One of the twins came out of nowhere and hit the bludger but it twirled through the air momentarily before pelting after Harry again. I screamed but Harry quickly flew out of the way.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Ron yelled over the crowd as Harry flew around the Quidditch pitch as fast as he could. It seemed to take all of Fred and George's beater skills and Harry's flying ability just to keep him alive.

"Why hasn't Madame Hooch done anything about it?" I asked as Harry dove away from the bludger. A moment later the whistle sounded and I leaned against Ron's side in relief. "Thank Merlin!"

"Don't thank Merlin yet it looks like they're going back up in the air." Ron was unfortunately right. The players rose back into the air once more and I watched in horrified amazement as Harry ducked, rolled and weaved away from the bludger. Where was the bloody snitch when you needed it?!

Harry froze in the air for a moment and I grabbed Ron's arm. "What is he doing - NOOO!"

The bludger had finally hit its mark and broke Harry's arm. I could tell it was by the unnatural way it lay.

Harry suddenly flew forward at Malfoy, snatched his hand through the air and held up the glittering golden snitch. I gaped as his broom descended quickly, much too quickly and then face planted right in the mud.

"Harry!" I screamed pushing my way through the crowd. Ron was right behind me and so were Dean, Seamus and Neville.

It was hard to get anywhere near Harry but eventually we got through. Professor Lockhart was leaning over Harry holding his wand. Harry seemed to be arguing with the professor.

"Stand back," Professor Lockhart said twirling his wand impressively.

"No - don't -" Harry said weakly, but Professor Lockhart was twirling his wand faster and a second later had directed it straight at Harry's arm. A bright purple light hit Harry's arm and I gasped in horror. Slowly, almost like a balloon, Harry's arm deflated till it looked like the rubber gloves my mother used to clean the stove.

"Ah," Professor Lockhart said flushing an unbecoming blotchy red color. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind. So, Harry, just toddle up to the hospital wing - ah, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, would you escort him? - and Madam Pomfrey will be able to - er - tidy you up a bit."

Harry slowly stood to his feet, took a deep breath and looked down at his arm. He paled horribly and shook his head looking rather dazed. When he looked up there was a rather sad look of resignation on his face. I frowned and pulled his good hand into mine as Harry, Ron and I made our way up to the infirmary.

**AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews help me create a story that everyone loves. And the only way to make sure I know you all like it is with reviews telling me what you think, what you love and hate about it. Also any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated and I would give you credit if I used your idea in the Author's Note. Seriously guys every little bit helps.**


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